Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/congofoundingofi02stan_0 


H.  M.  STANLEY. 

(From  a  Photograph  by  J.  Thomson,  10a,  Grosvenor  Street,  London,  W.) 


Copyright,  1885,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 


Ali  rigkts  reserved. 


I 


CONTENTS. 

{Vol  II.) 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

TO    THE    BLACK  RIVER. 

PAGE 

Bolobo  trade — Wealth  of  the  chiefs — Manguru  the  Rothschild  of 
Bolobo— Scenery  of  the  Upper  Congo—  Ennui  on  the  voyage — 
Comparison  with  travelling  on  other  great  rivers — Unvarying 
food — We  lose  our  way — "  Ho,  Wy-yanzi,  tribesmen  of  Luko- 
lela !  " — A  poor  reception — An  improvised  market — Tricked  by 
the  natives— Buying  a  crocodile— Cordial  reception  at  Usindi — 
Irebu  the  home  of  the  champion  traders— Mangombo  the  chief — 
Excellent  knowledge  of  trade — The  war  in  Irebu  — I  am  asked  to 
negotiate  for  peace  —  Cause  of  the  war  —  Difference  between 
Stanley  and  Bula  Matari — Medicine  to  make  wealth  grow — 
Cooking  the  big  pot — Troublesome  exploration — A  threatening 
dance—"  The  river  is  free,  but  touch  not  the  land  " — The  Batuki 
—A  new  station  founded   1 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

FROM    THE    BLACK   RIVER   TO   STANLEY   POOL    AND   BACK  TO 
EQUATOR  STATION. 

An  embarrassing  farewell — Chili  pepper  and  tears— Success  of  a 
hypocritical  stratagem — Sounds  of  war — Peace-making — Bury- 
ing the  war — The  Lukanga  river — Mantumba  Lake— The  Watwa 
dwarfs — Rescue  of  a  shipwrecked  crew — The  Abbe  Guyot — The 
lion  and  his  prey— Leopoldville  flourishing—  Troubles  at  Bwa- 
bwa  Njali's— A  homicidal  officer— Lieutenant  Janssen  and  the 
Abbe  Guyot  drowned  —  Troubles  at  Kimpoko  —  Troubles  at 
Bolobo— The  station  burut— We  are  fired  upon — War — A  Krupp 
gun  sent  for — Weak  effects  of  musketry  —  Peace  restored — 
Settling  the  indemnity — Displaying  the  power  of  the  Krupp — 
H  I  and  my  people  will  depart  from  Bolobo  forever !  " — The  river 
of  Buuga— Lukolela— A  magnificent  forest — The  superstition  of 
Iuka  —  Excellent  condition  of  Equator  Station  —  My  ideal 
achieved   39 


iv 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

TO  THE  AllUWIMI  OR  BIYERRE. 

PAGE 

Equipping  for  a  long  voyage  —  The  Lnlungu  river— Bolombo — 
Bangala  the  terrible— Stirring  memories — Boleko  the  chief— 
"Stop,  thief!" — Mata  Bwyki — A  modern  Hercules — "Is  this 
Tandelay  ?  " — Uncomfortable  moments — The  appeal  of  Yumbila 
— "  Bula  Matari  and  Mata  Bwyki  are  one  to-day!" — Luxuriant 
tropical  scenes — Immense  forest  wealth — Unsheltered  in  a  storm 
—Deserted  districts  -  Nganza— Old  Rubunga  —  l.anga-Langa 
women — The  currency  changing — Ndobo — Oyster-shells  a  sign 
of  former  population  —  Bumba  and  the  chief  Myombi  —  The 
dreaded  Ibanza— A  trick  with  a  tiger's  skin — Yambinga — Itim- 
biri  river — Yalulima  armourers — Hostile  natives— War  canoes  on 
the  look-out— The  Aruwimi — Mokulu — An  effective  salutation— 
"  Bravo,  Yumbila !  "  75 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

UP  THE  BIYERRE. 

Yumbila  returns  with  an  interesting  story— Slave  kidnappers,  pro- 
bably from  the  Soudan— Skilful  workmanship — Umaneh  and 
Yakui — Conical  huts — The  course  of  the  river — Metropolitan 
Yambumba— A  sham  famine— The  rapids — Supposed  identity  of 
the  Biyerre  and  Welle — Reasons  for  this  opinion — Arabs  in  the 
neighbourhood — Again  on  the  Congo   119 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

TO    STANLEY  FALLS. 

Predatory  Bahunga— An  odd  means  for  defence— Deserted  villages — 
Enormous  flotilla  of  canoes  — Danger  ahead — Ravages  by  the 
Arabs — "Cruel  man  has  done  his  worst  "—Remains  of  burnt 
villages— A  shocking  discovery— We  overtake  the  Arab  slave- 
traders — Meditations  on  retribution  —Extent  of  territory  ravaged 
by  the  Arabs— Their  miserable  captives — A  harrowing  scene — 
Captives  all  women  and  children  ;  their  number — The  cause  of 
the  trade — Yangambi — The  Chofu  river — The  Wenya  fishermen 
— Cunning  policy  of  the  Arabs — Stanley  Falls— Description  of 
the  cataracts — The  district  tribes — Their  mode  of  fishing— A 
dangerous  ferry — Drum  signals — An  industrious  people — The 
fish  of  the  waters— Palavers — Our  farthest  station  founded — 
Binnie  is  appointed  chief  and  left  in  charge — Homeward  bound  134 


CONTENTS. 


v 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

DOWN  THE  CONGO  TO  STANLEY  POOL. 

PAGE 

Going  with  the  stream— The  Arabs  send  their  confidential  men  with 
us— Navigability  of  the  Lumami  and  Lubilash— Wreck  of  the 
Royal— Beaching  and  repairing  the  wreck— Cold  winds  on  the 
river — Iboko  in  confusion— Impudent  thieving — A  prisoner  — 
"Fast  bind,  fast  find  "—A  horrified  father— Eefusal  of  a  ransom 
— Cordiality  at  Ukumira  —  Mata  Bwyki  in  a  passion— More 
prisoners  —  Restitution  of  our  stolen  property  —  Freeing  the 
prisoners— A  horrible  massacre — Young  Glave  of  Yorkshire — 
Bolobo  station  again  burnt— News  from  the  missionaries — Again 
at  Leopoldville — Troublesome  news  from  Vivi   168 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

RETURN  TO  VIVI. 

Starting  of  our  caravan— A  promising  farewell— Ngalyema's  last 
words— Encouraging  resolutions  of  the  officers — Hospitality  of 
the  natives  as  we  pass— Nselo  ferry— Quarrel  between  Ngombi 
and  Mbimbi — Peace-making — Forms  of  our  treaties  with  native 
chiefs— List  of  districts  and  their  chiefs — The  cut-throat  Lutete 
is  changed  for  the  better— An  extending  and  dangerous  crevasse 
— Lava  at  Kalulu  Falls  :  "  Whence  has  it  come  ?  " — Manyanga 
u  higgledy-piggledy  " — Hospitality  at  the  mission-house  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ingham— A  pretty  station  —  Luima  and  Lunionzo 
valleys — Climate  and  health— Congo  la  Lemba— View  of  Vivi — 
Unhappy  reflections  upon  its  neglect   189 

CHAPTER  XXXIH. 

TO  OSTEND. 

Climate  and  conduct — Vivi  in  confusion— A  cure  for  sham  illness- 
Removal  of  the  station — Description  of  the  changes  at  Vivi — 
General  Gordon's  probable  work — I  embark  on  the  Kinsembo — 
Loaniro— Sette  Camma — Coast  trade— Gaboon  Gulf — Fernando 
Po  —  The  Cameroons— Duke  Town— Exploring  a  great  "oil" 
river — Native  chiefs  buying  iron  houses — Bonny — Lagos— Quetta 
— Sierra  Leone— My  arrival  in  London — Report  to  H.M.  the  King 
of  the  Belgians   220 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

EUROPEANS    IN  AFRICA. 

European  opinion  of  African  life — Repelled  by  the  absence  of  comforts 
— "  Amour  propre  "  and  "  susceptibilities  " — Few  heroes  of  labour 
—Extravagant  hopes—"  Bah !  1  did  not  come  for  work  " — Types 


vi 


CONTENTS. 


of  neglected  and  prosperous  stations — Malingering— Unintel- 
ligent workers  —  "  Nothing  like  whisky !  "  —  "  Sojering"  —  A 
happier  theme  — The  earnest  workers  of  the  Expedition — New 
aspirants— Young  officers  in  search  of  adventures — A  sad  acci- 
dent—Our physician— A  plucky  Scot— The  way  to  gain  a  good 
reputation   238 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CLIMATE — PART  I. 

Value  of  reliable  knowledge — A  youth's  welcome  to  the  tropics,  and 
its  results —  Wet  flannels  and  fever  —  Intemperance — Careless- 
ness in  Europe — Inquiry  into  the  causes  of  sickness  at  the 
stations  on  the  Congo — The  cases  of  some  of  our  invalids — The 
best  positions  to  build  upon — Captain  Burton's  advice,  "  Beef 
and  beer  " — European  opinion  of  Africa  compared  to  African 
opinion  of  Europe — Banza  Manteka  :  a  missionary  station — 
Dangers  of  low-lying  localities — A  fatal  "  pare  " — "  Observe  the 
native  custom — Sickness  not  all  due  to  miasma— Number  of 
deaths  in  our  Expedition — Instances  of  how  the  deaths  occurred 
— Urgent  advice  to  those  who  wish  to  thrive  in  the  tropics      . .  280 


CHAPTEE  XXXVI. 

CLIMATE. — PART  II. 

Dr.  von  Danckelman's  observations  —  Definition  of  heat — Cold — 
Exposure — Advantage  of  awnings — Equable  temperature  of  the 
body — Temperature  in  South  America — Inequality  of  the  Congo 
climate — Long  marches  and  gulps  of  cold  water — A  cool  place 
— "  He  is  only  joking  "  — "  The  White  Man's  Grave  " — Advice 
to  doctors  —  Food  and  drink — Daily  life — Medicine — Diseases — 
Meteorological  Tables   312 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  KERNEL  OF  THE  ARGUMENT. 

Extent  of  the  Congo  River— Navigable  stretches  — The  maritime 
region — The  mountain  region — Elevations,  vegetation,  and  pro- 
ductions—Population— Interior  basin  of  the  Upper  Congo ;  its 
extent  and  altitudes— Navagability  of  the  tributaries— Tables  of 
mileage  of  navigable  waters — Area  drained  by  the  rivers — Tables 
of  population  of  Upper  Congo  section— Opinions  of  Dr.  Pogge 
and  Lieut.  Weissman,  Tippn  Tib,  and  Dr.  Schweinfurth— The 
products  of  the  land— Vegetable  and  animal  richness — Minerals 
—Extent  of  the  Webb-Lualaba  section  —  Navagability  of  the 


CONTENTS. 


vii 


Webb-Lualaba — Characteristics  of  the  Lualaba  country — Living- 
stone's descriptions — The  Tanganika  territory — Ujiji  markets — 
Table  of  the  actual  knowledge  of  the  Congo  basin  :  its  area  and 
population — Possibilities  of  trade — Table  of  the  value  of  African 
produce  in  Liverpool — Prospects  of  factories — Advantages  of  a 
railway — Efforts  to  civilise  Equatorial  Africa — Comparison  with 
other  countries — Its  future  development  and  greatness     . .     . .  339 


CHAPTEE  XXXVIII. 

THE  BERLIN  CONFERENCE. 

Strengthening  the  fabric — Precedents — Treaties  with  chiefs  :  their 
validity — The  Anglo  Portuguese  Treaty — United  States  action — 
Prince  Bismarck's  views — Position  of  Great  Britain — German 
and  French  interests — Freedom  of  commerce — Berlin  Conference 
— List  of  Plenipotentiaries — Deliberations  and  decisions  at  the 
Conference — Acquisitions  of  France  and  Portugal — Free  Trade 
— A  safe  jurisdiction — The  Royal  Founder  378 


APPENDIX. 


PAGE 

The  Commercial  Basin  of  the  Congo,  as  described  by  the  Author 
before  the  Berlin  Conference   409 

Protocol,  No.  9    ..   415 

Declarations  exchanged  between  the  United  States  of  America  and 

the  International  Association  of  the  Congo  419 

Convention  between  the  Empire  of  Germany  and  the  International 

Association  of  the  Congo  ..     ..   421 

Declarations  exchanged  between  the  Government  of  Her  Britannic 

Majesty  and  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo    . .     . .  422 

Convention  between  the  Government  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty  and 

the  International  Association  of  the  Congo  423 

Convention  between  the  Netherlands  and  the  International  Associa- 
tion of  the  Congo   426 

Convention  between  the  Government  of  the  French  Republic  and  the 
International  Association  of  the  Congo  . .  429 

Convention  between  Portugal  and  the  International  Association  of 
the  Congo       431 

Declarations  exchanged  between  the  Belgian  Government  and  the 

International  Association  of  the  Congo    433 

Protocol,  No.  10  434 

The  General  Act  of  the  Berlin  Conference   440 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

{Vd.  n.) 


FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

KO.  PAGE 

1.  H.  M.  Stanley.    (From  a  photograph)     ..        ..        ..  Frontispiece. 

2.  An  Interview  before  the  Chief's  House  at  Wangata     . .        ..To  face  38 

3.  A  Terrible  Disaster  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  ,,  55 

4.  Equator  Station       ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  ,,  71 

5.  The  Banks  of  the  Upper  Congo             ..        ..        ..        ..  „  95 

6  "Finally  the  '  Ibanza' emerged  into  view"      ..        ..        ..  „  106 

7.  View  of  Bondeh       ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  ,,  126 

8.  Scene  from  the  Covelet  near  our  Station  at  Stanley  Falls.  The 

Seventh  Cataract  in  the  distance        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  157 

9.  Still  Haven,  Stanley  Falls   „  163 

10.  A  Street  Scene  in  Iboko     ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  173 

11.  Execution  of  Slaves  by  the  Bakuti  near  Equator  Station       ..  „  182 

12.  Kinshassa  Station  (Stanley  Pool)  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  185 

13.  View  of  Le'opoldville  Station  and  Port,  1884.    The  Baptist 

Mission  on  the  summit  of  Leopold  Hill.  (From  a  photograph)  „  186 

14.  View  clown  the  Congo,  a  few  miles  above  the  confluence  of 

the  Lubamba  with  the  Congo    ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  192 

15.  View  clown  the  river  from  nearly  opposite  Isangila      ..        ..  „  215 

16.  A  few  of  the  Women  and  Children  of  our  Coloured  Employe's ..  „  222 

17.  Sanatorium  at  Bonny         ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  234 

18.  Mr.  A.  B.  Swinburne,  Chief  of  Kinshassa  Station        ..        ..  „  257 

19.  The  Sectional  Steamer  Le  Stanley  leaving  Vivi  Beach  ..        ..  „  264 

20.  Plan  of  Profile  of  the  Country  between  the  Sea  and  Ruanda 

across  the  Congo  Basin  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  „  362 


SMALLER  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

21.  A  Specimen  of  the  By-yanzi.    ( Jfy  Mr.  Glave.)    3 

22.  A  very  poor  Native  of  Inganda  and  his  Dress    ..        ..        ..        ..  31 

23.  A  Native  issuing  to  the  War        ..        ..        ..                 ..        ..  37 

24.  View  from  the  head  of  Bamu  Island  down  the  South  branch  at 

Stanley  Pool    53 

25.  A  Native  of  Iboko             ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  70 


X 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NO.  PAGE 

26.  Plan  of  the  Baugala  Settlements   81 

27.  One  of  the  Bangala    83 

28.  Native  of  Langa-Langa      ..                 .   101 

29  Old  Chief  in  native-made  Hut    108 

30.  A  Type  of  the  Basoko    123 

31.  View  of  Mpozo  Station  and  River  from  Vivi     ..        ..        ..        ..  218 

32.  Mons.  del  Commune    225 

33.  La  Ville  d'Anvers  steamer  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  226 

34.  Captain  Hanssens                                ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  228 

35.  Laudana     229 

36.  From  Ambriz  to  the  Cameroons    ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  230 

37.  Old  Calabar  Factories,  near  Duke  Town                                     ..  232 

38  From  the  Niger  to  Ostend   235 

39.  Lieutenant  Valcke   263 

40.  Lieutenant  Vangele  . .        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..                 ..  265 

41.  Lieutenant  Coquilhat         ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  267 

42.  Lieutenant  Janssen  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  268 

43.  Lieutenant  Paifoury   269 

44.  Lieutenant  Grang     ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  270 

45.  Dr.  Allard                                 ..    271 

46.  Lieutenant  Liebrechts        ..        ..                 ..        ..        ..        ..  278 

47.  The  funnel-shaped  Gorge  of  the  Lower  Congo    . .        . .        . .        . .  292 

48.  Plan  to  illustrate  how  the  Gorge  discharges  its  winds  at  Leopoidville  293 

49.  Political  Divisions  of  the  Congo  Basin    ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  365 


MAP. 

A  Map  of  the  Congo  Basin  (second  half)   In  Poshet 


THE  CONGO, 

AND 

THE  FOUNDING  OF  ITS  FEEE  STATE. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

TO    THE    BLACK  RIVER. 

Bolobo  trade— Wealth  of  the  chiefs — Manguru  the  Rothschild  of  Bolobo 
— Scenery  of  the  Upper  Congo — Ennui  on  the  voyage — Comparison 
with  travelling  on  other  great  rivers — Unvarying  food — We  lose  our 
way — "  Ho,  Wy-yanzi,  tribesmen  of  Lukolela  !  " — A  poor  reception— 
An  improvised  market — Tricked  by  the  natives — Buying  a  crocodile 
-Cordial  reception  at  Usindi  —  Irebu  the  home  of  the  champion 
traders— Mangomba  the  chief— Excellent  knowledge  of  trade— The 
war  in  Irebu  —I  am  asked  to  negotiate  for  peace— Cause  of  the  war 
— Difference  between  Stan'ey  and  Bula  Matari — Medicine  to  make 
wealth  grow— Cooking  the  big  pot — Troublesome  exploration — A 
threatening  dance — "  The  river  is  free,  but  touch  not  the  land 
The  Batuki  —A  new  station  founded. 

The  By-yanzi  have  a  tradition  according  to  Ibaka  1883. 
that  they  came  originally  from  Ubangi,  a  district  ^lolo 
situate  south  of  and  near  the  equator  on  the  right 
bank.  From  the  number  of  canoes  that  I  have  met 
hailing  from  Ubangi,  this  must  be  a  populous  district. 
Ibaka,  who  was  once  there  on  a  trade  expedition, 
believes  it  to  be  an  island,  as,  according  to  him,  "  on 
one  side  is  all  white  water,  on  the  other  side  it  is  all 
black ; "  or  it  may  mean  that  Ubangi  is  more  likely  to 
Vol.  II.— 1 


2 


THE  CONGO. 


L883.    Lo  situated  in  a  fork  at  a  confluence  of  two  rivers — the 

May  24. 

Boiobo.  Congo  and  a  white  water  affluent.  He  was  much  con- 
fused, he  said,  by  the  quantity  of  water  and  islands 
there — "  there  was  no  end  to  the  water." 

Two  hours'  journey  inland  from  Boiobo  there  is  a 
large  market-place  called  Mpumbu,  where  dogs,  croco- 
diles, hippopotamus  meat,  snails,  iguanas,  fish  and  red- 
wood powder  are  sold  in  great  quantities.  Little, 
however,  that  is  of  utility  to  Europeans  and  people  of 
more  refined  tastes  is  sold  at  this  particular  place. 

Boiobo  is  a  great  centre  for  the  ivory  and  camwood 
powder  trade,  principally  because  its  people  are  so 
enterprising.  The  native  traders  have  agents  residing 
at  Stanley  Pool,  to  whom  the  ivory  collected  here  is 
delivered,  and  the  merchandise  from  the  coast  lying  in 
store  is  consigned  to  the  wealthy  traders  at  Boiobo. 

One  must  not  be  hasty  in  judging  from  the  poverty 
of  their  garb  that  the  chiefs  of  this  trading  district  are 
poor.  They  are  frugally  inclined,  having  a  certain 
standard  of  wealth  which  they  must  endeavour  to 
achieve  before  they  bear  on  their  persons  in  every  day 
life  the  habit  befitting  their  station  and  prosperity. 
Thus  Mangi,  residing  at  [vintamo,  is  the  junior  chief 
of  Itimba,  Boiobo.  He  visits  Leopoldville  daily, 
dressed  in  a  cotton  robe  of  dark  blue  baft,  but  he  is 
lord  of  three  villages,  and  may  probably  be  wrorth 
£3000.  Lugumbila,  vizier  to  Ibaka  and  his  oldest  slave, 
is  probably  worth  an  equal  amount.  But  Manguru,  of 
Boiobo,  is  a  nabob  ;  if  his  worldly  belongings  were 
sold  at  auction  in  Boiobo,  it  is  very  possible  his  effects 


THE  ROTHSCHILD  OF  BOLOBO. 


3 


would  realise  double  this  sum.    His  canoes  and  slaves  1883. 

May  24 

exploit  every  creek  and  affluent  as  far  as  Irebu  and  Boiobo. 
Ubangi ;  at  Kimbangu,  on  the  south  bank  of  Stanle}7 
Pool,  and  at  Malima,  on  the  north  bank,  he  has  a  faith- 
ful factor ;  while  at  Boiobo  he  keeps  a  hundred  armed 
slaves.  Yet  Manguru,  now  well  advanced  in  years, 
paddles  his  own  canoe  along  the  river  front  of  the 
district,  trading  from  one  place  to  another  daily.  It 
is  this  Rothschild  of  Boiobo  who  induced  Gratula  to 


A  SPECIMEN  OF  THE  BY-YANZI 

{By  Mr.  Glave.) 


choose  between  two  evils — war,  or  forfeit  of  money,  and 
by  his  arguments  convinced  him  that  to  lose  money 
was  a  less  evil  than  the  loss  of  his  life  and  property. 

On  the  28th  of  May  the  flotilla  set  out  from  Boiobo 
for  the  establishment  of  two  stations  on  the  Upper 
Congo.  The  expedition  was  accompanied  by  three 
guides — Msenne,  from  Mswata,  and  two  slaves  belong- 
ing to  Ibaka,  who  knew  well  the  countries  of  Uyanzi 
and  Ubangi. 


4 


THE  CONGO. 


The  upper  portion  of  Bolobo  presents  many  excellent 

Mav  28.      .  .  , .  .  , 

Bojobo  sites  for  stations,  with  commanding  views,  but  unfortu- 
nately they  are  at  present  beyond  our  means.  To  be 
able  to  build  healthy  dwelling  houses  on  these  sites  one 
must  be  well  assured  that  the  natives  will  open  their 
markets  to  us.  If  a  garrison  of  100  men  could  be 
stationed  at  Bolobo,  then  the  place  would  become  an 
emporium  of  trade.  Until  that  time,  however,  we  are 
forced  to  seek  some  village  or  villages,  with  the  chiefs 
of  which  we  can  live  in  mutual  dependence. 

Beyond  Bolobo  we  have  a  bluff-faced  highland  ex- 
tending for  about  five  miles  in  a  north-easterly  direc- 
tion. In  a  cove  at  its  upper  extremity,  where  it  leaves 
the  river,  there  lives  a  tribe  of  Wa-nunu,  who  immedi- 
ately on  seeing  the  flotilla  advancing,  disported  them- 
selves along  their  sandy  shore  most  ferociously,  judging 
by  their  manoeuvres.  But,  poor  souls,  how  much  we 
were  misjudged  !  Even  had  they  kept  up  the  fierce 
play  till  doomsday  we  would  not  have  had  aught  of 
unfriendliness  for  them.  Such  love  as  we  possessed 
for  them  was  simply  immeasureable. 

The  flotilla  sheered  off  a  little  into  deeper  water,  and 
passed  on  with  silent  and  unoffending  crews  and 
passengers. 

Beyond  the  village  was  low  forested  land,  which 
either  came  in  dense  black  towering  masses  of  impene- 
trable vegetation  to  the  waterside,  or  else  ran  in  great 
semicircles  half  enclosing  grassy  flats,  whereon  the 
hippopotami  fed  at  night  time. 

The  Congo  wTas  now  enormously  wide ;  from  five  to 


UPPER  CONGO  SCENERY. 


5 


eight  channels  separated  one  from  another  bv  as  many  1883! 

.  .  .  #     _  ■      May  28 

lines  of  islets  (some  of  which  were  miles  in  length),  on  Boiobo. 
which  the  Landolfia  florida,  or  rubber  plant,  flourished, 
of  the  value  of  which  the  natives  as  yet  know  nothing. 
Tamarinds,  baobab,  bombax,  redwood,  Elais  guineensis, 
palm-tree,  wild  date-palm,  Calamus  indicus,  with  the 
hardy  stink- wood,  made  up  a  dense  mass  of  trees  and 
creepers  of  such  formidable  thickness  that  no  one  was 
even  inspired  to  examine  what  treasures  of  plants 
might  be  revealed  by  a  closer  investigation  of  the  vege- 
table life  thriving  on  these  humps  of  dark  alluvium 
in  Mid-Congo, 

Few  could  imagine  that  a  slow  ascent  up  the  Congo 
in  steamers  going  only  two  and  a  half  knots  against  the 
current  of  the  great  river  could  be  otherwise  than  mo- 
notonous. Taken  as  a  whole,  the  scenery  of  the  Upper 
Congo  is  uninteresting ;  perhaps  the  very  slow  rate  of 
ascent  has  left  that  impression.  But  we  were  also  tired 
of  the  highland  scenery  in  the  Lower  Congo.  We  de- 
clared ourselves  tired  of  looking  at  naked  rock  cliffs, 
and  rufous  ragged  slopes  600  feet  in  height.  Before 
we  were  through  the  circular  enlargement  of  the  Congo 
at  Stanley  Pool  we  also  confessed  ourselves  wearied ; 
when  we  voyaged  up  along  the  base  of  the  massive 
mountain  lines  above  it  to  Chunibiri  we  sighed  for 
a  change ;  and  now,  when  we  have  a  month's  journey 
by  islets,  low  shores,  of  grassy  levels,  and  banks  of  thick 
vegetation  and  forest,  we  are  menaced  with  the  same 
ennui.  But  let  us  be  just.  Our  feeling  of  weariness 
arises  from  the  fact  that  our  accommodations  are  so 


6 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    limited  that  we  are  obliged  to  sit  down  or  stand  up 

May  28.  &  . 

Boiobo.  the  long  way.  The  eyes,  the  only  organs  exercised, 
are  easily  sated.  The  weariness  is  only  created  by 
our  compulsory  inactivity.  Our  eyes  are  feasting  con- 
tinually upon  petty  details,  of  the  nature  of  which  we 
are  scarcely  conscious.  The  flitting  of  a  tiny  sun-bird, 
the  chirping  weavers  at  their  nests;  the  despondent 
droop  of  a  long  calamus  which  cannot  find  support, 
and  which,  like  the  woodbine,  flourishes  best  when  it 
has  a  tall  stem  to  cling  to ;  the  bamboo-like  reeds ;  the 
swaying-tufted  head  of  an  overgrown  papyrus ;  the 
floating  by  of  a  Pistia  stratiotes;  a  flock  of  screech- 
ing parrots  hurrying  by  overhead  ;  that  great  yawning 
hippopotamus  lazily  preparing  for  a  plunge  into  his 
watery  bed ;  that  log-like  form  of  the  crocodile,  roused 
from  his  meditations,  loth  to  go,  but  compelled  by  the 
whirr  of  paddle-wheels  to  submerge  himself;  those 
springing  monkeys,  skurrying  in  their  leafy  homes 
away  from  the  increasing  noise  ;  that  white-collared  fish 
eagle  out-spreading  his  wings  for  flight ;  that  darting 
diver  and  little  kingfisher  hurrying  ahead,  heralding 
our  approach ;  yonder  flock  of  black  ibis  alarmingly 
screaming  their  harsh  cries;  that  little  blue-throated 
fantail  which  has  just  hopped  away  from  the  yellow- 
blossomed  acacia  bush ;  those  little  industrious  wagtails 
pecking  away  so  briskly  on  the  sandy  strip  by  the  edge 
of  the  forest ;  there  is  a  jay  which  has  just  fled  into  the 
woods;  look  at  those  long-legged  flamingoes  at  that 
spit  of  land  ;  and — but  the  details  are  endless,  for  every 
minute  of  time  has  its  incident.     As  for  your  own 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  AND  THE  CONGO. 


7 


fancies,  during  this  day  trance,  created  mainly  by  what  1883. 

■  .     M;iy  28. 

you  see  as  the  banks  glide  steadily  past,  who  will  Boiobo. 

dare  to  fathom  them  ?  They  come  in  rapid  succes- 
sion on  the  mind,  in  various  shapes,  rank  after  rank. 
Unsteadfast  as  the  grey  clouds  which  you  see  to 
the  westward,  they  pile  into  cities,  and  towns,  and 
mountains,  growing  ever  larger,  more  intense,  but 
still  ever  wavering  and  undergoing  quick  transitions 
of  form.  The  flowing  river,  the  vast  dome  of  sky ; 
the  aspiring  clouds  on  the  horizon ;  the  purpling 
blue,  as  well  as  the  dark  spectral  isles  of  the  stream ; 
the  sepulchral  gloom  beneath  the  impervious  forest 
foliage;  those  swaying  reeds;  that  expanse  of  sere- 
coloured  grassy  plain  ;  that  grey  clay  bank,  speckled 
with  the  red  roots  of  some  shrub ;  that  narrow  path- 
way through  the  forest — all  suggest  some  new  thought, 
some  fancy  which  cannot  be  long  pursued,  since  it 
is  constantly  supplanted  by  other  ideas  suggested 
by  something  new,  which  itself  is  but  a  momentary 
flash. 

But  supposing  that  a  steamer  similar  to  those  we 
have  on  the  Mississippi  bore  you  up  the  Congo,  rushing 
up  stream  at  the  rate  of  twelve  knots  an  *hour  against 
the  current,  while  you  could  travel  up  and  down  a  long, 
broad  deck  protected  by  a  sun-proof  awning,  with 
luxurious  board  and  lodging  at  your  command,  your 
view  of  the  Congo  would  be  very  different.  I  do 
believe  you  would  express  a  preference  for  it  to  any 
river  known  to  you.  You  would  naturally  think  of 
comparisons.     The  Rhine  ?     Why  the  Rhine,  even 


8 


THE  CONGO. 


including  its  most  picturesque  parts,  is  only  a  micro- 
scopic miniature  of  the  Lower  Congo  ;  but  we  must 
have  the  Rhine  steamer,  and  its  wine  and  food  and 
accommodations  to  be  able  to  see  it  properl}\  The 
Mississippi  ?  The  Congo  is  one  and  a  half  times  larger 
than  the  Mississippi,  and  certainly  from  eight  to  ten 
times  broader.  You  may  take  your  choice  of  nearly 
a  dozen  channels,  and  you  will  see  more  beautiful  vege- 
tation on  the  Congo  than  on  the  American  river.  The 
latter  lacks  the  palm  and  the  calamus,  while  the  former 
has  a  dozen  varieties  of  the  palm.  Besides,  it  possesses 
herds  of  hippopotami,  crocodiles  innumerable  ;  monkeys 
are  gleefully  romping  on  the  islands  and  the  main ; 
elephants  are  standing  sentry-like  in  the  twilight  of  the 
dark  forests  by  the  river  side ;  buffaloes  red  and  black 
are  grazing  on  the  rich  grass  plains ;  there  are  flocks 
of  ibis,  black  and  white  parrots,  parroquets,  and  guinea- 
fowl.  The  Mississippi  is  a  decent  greyish-coloured 
stream,  confined  between  two  low  banks,  with  here  and 
there  a  town  of  frame  houses  and  brick.  The  Congo  is 
of  a  tea-colour  on  its  left  half,  and  on  its  right  half  it 
is  nearly  chalky  white.  You  take  your  choice,  tea  or 
milk,  red  or  Rhine  wine.  And  as  for  the  towns,  why, 
I  hope  the  all-gracious  Providence  will  bless  our 
labour,  and  they  will  come  by-and-by  ;  meantime  there 
is  room  enough,  and  to  spare,  to  stow  the  half  of  Europe 
comfortably  on  its  spacious  borders.  The  Nile  ?  Ask 
any  of  those  gallant  English  soldiers  who  have  tugged 
their  way  among  the  Nile  cataracts,  what  they  think 
of  the  Nile  to  spend  a  holiday  upon.    The  Danube  ? 


WOOD-CUTTING. 


9 


Ah,  it  is  not  to  be  mentioned  with  the   Congo  for  1883. 

'  °  May  28. 

scenery  !  The  Yolga  ?  Still  worse.  The  Amazon  ?  By  Boiobo. 
no  means.    You  will  have  to  ascend  very  far  up  the 
Amazon  before  you  will  see  anything  approaching 
Congo  scenery. 

Well,  you  must  admit  then  that  if  the  Congo  could 
be  seen  from  the  deck  of  a  commodious  steamer,  this 
feeling  of  weariness  which  we  have  to  contend  against 
now  while  ascending  at  this  snail's  pace  against  the 
current,  because  we  have  no  room  to  move  about, 
would  be  replaced  by  a  more  grateful  and  a  cheerier 
mood. 

At  5  p.m.  we  generally  camp  after  an  advance  of 
from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  up  river.  Thirty  miles 
would  be  unusually  good  progress,  because  there  is  fuel 
to  be  cut  with  axes  and  saws,  and  it  will  take  till  nine 
o'clock  at  night  to  cut  sufficient  for  next  day's  steam- 
ing. From  5  to  6.30  p.m.  all  hands  excepting  the 
cooks  are  engaged  in  gathering  wood,  half-dead  logs, 
or  dead  trees,  which  have  to  be  cut  into  portable 
sizes  for  transport  to  the  camp.  When  darkness 
falls  a  great  fire  is  lit,  under  the  light  of  which  the 
wood-choppers  fall  to  and  cut  the  logs  into  foot  lengths 
for  the  boilers.  The  sound  of  smiting  axes  rings 
through  the  dark  grove,  to  be  re-echoed  by  the  opposite 
forest,  and  borne  along  the  face  of  the  river  to  a  great 
distance.  It  is  varied  by  the  woodman's  chant ;  a 
chorus  is  struck  up,  and  under  its  stirring  vocal  notes  a 
new  impetus  is  given,  and  the  axes  are  struck  stirringly 
rapid.    What  a  moral  lesson  for  vapid- minded  white 


10 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    men  might  be  drawn  from  these  efforts  of  untutored 

May  28. 

Boiobo.  blacks  to  get  through  their  tasks  ! 

Meantime,  at  dusk,  each  steamers  crew  of  white 
officers  and  passengers  will  be  found  around  their 
dinner-tables  on  deck  or  on  the  bank,  if  the  camp 
lias  permitted  it  ;  the  lamplight  tinging  their  faces 
with  a  rosier  hue  than  the  sallow  complexion  which 
the  sun  has  bestowed  on  them. 

Of  food  there  is  abundance,  but  not  much  variety. 
It  may  comprise  soup  of  beans  or  vegetables,  followed 
by  toasted  chikwanga  (cassava-bread),  fried  or  stewed 
fowl,  a  roast  fowl,  or  a  roast  leg  of  goat  meat,  a  dish 
of  desiccated  potatoes,  and,  if  we  have  been  fortunate 
in  our  purchases,  some  sweet  potatoes,  or  yams,  roast 
bananas,  boiled  beans,  rice  and  curry,  or  rices  with 
honey,  or  rice  and  milk,  finishing  with  tea  or  coffee,  or 
palm- wine. 

It  is  insipid  food  for  breakfast  and  dinner  through- 
out a  term  of  three  years.  A  few  months  of  this  diet 
makes  the  European  sigh  for  his  petit  verve,  Astrachan 
caviar,  mock-turtle,  salmon — with  sauce  Hollandaise 
—filet  de  bceuf,  with  perhaps  a  pastete  and  poularde 
mit  compote  und  salat.  For  if  a  German,  however  can 
he  live  without  his  dear  compote  ?  Then,  how  nice, 
he  thinks,  would  fruit,  cheese,  and  dessert  be  on  the 
Congo.  How  glorious  a  view  of  Congo  life  one  could 
take  when  exhilarated  by  half  a  pint  of  champagne. 

I  think,  indeed,  that  the  eternal  "  fowl  "  of  the  Congo, 
and  the  unvarying  slices  of  chikwanga,  with  which 
our  young  officers  are  fed,  deserves  three-fourths  of 


NATIVE  SURPRISE  AT  THE  STEAMERS.  11 


the  blame  now  lavished  on  "  murderous  Africa.     It  i«83. 

May  28. 

is  only  a  grand  moral  manhood  like  Livingstone's  Boiobo. 
that  rises  above  these  petty  vanities  of  a  continental 
stomach.  Think  of  his  thirty -two  years'  life  in  Africa, 
and  of  the  unsophisticated  mannikins  who  to-day  are 
digging  their  eyes  out  with  weeping  at  the  memories 
of  a  European  restaurant  before  they  have  been 
scarcely  three  months  out ! 

There  is  not  much  to  converse  about  on  the  Congo 
after  our  stomachs  are  full  of  the  heavy  chikwanga, 
and  as  we  all  know  that — 

"  The  time  of  life  is  short ; 
To  spend  that  little  basely  were  too  long." 

We  retire  early  to  spend  it  well  in  sleeping,  that  we 
may  be  better  fitted  for  the  next  day's  weary  voyaging 
up  the  great  African  river. 

Ungende  was  our  first  night's  camp  above  Boiobo. 
The  By-yanzi  were  very  friendly  at  first,  but  at  sunset 
their  fears  made  them  hostile,  and  they  were  not 
quieted  until  all  our  people  were  ordered  to  make 
their  reedy  couches  near  the  steamers. 

The  next  day  we  travelled  up  by  very  pleasant  hills. 
We  passed  villages,  banana-groves,  palmy  groups,  and 
deep  green  forest  in  agreeable  alternations.  These  are 
the  Levy  Hills,  and  end  at  the  magnificent  and  airy  red 
bluffs  of  Iyumbi.  The  people  looked  out  upon  us  in 
stupid  wonder  from  under  the  shade  of  their  bananas, 
seemingly  saying,  "  What  curious  phase  of  existence 
have  we  entered  upon  now  ?    Verily,  an  epoch  has 


12 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    dawned  upon  our  lives;  but  what  it  signifies  let  those 

May  29.  1  ° 

Cngende.  answer  who  can  !  " 

And  we,  looking  out  from  under  our  awnings,  ap- 
pear to  say,  k;  Ay,  gaze,  oh  men  and  women,  upon 
these  three  symbols  of  civilisation.  Ye  see  things 
to-day  which  the  oldest  and  wisest  inhabitant  of  your 
land  never  heard  or  dreamed  of,  and  yet  they  are  but 
tiny  types  of  self-moving  leviathans  that  plough,  the 
raging  sea  by  night  as  well  as  by  day  !  " 

Two  hours  above  Iyumbi  we  lost  our  way.  The 
channels  were  numerous.  A  reedy  flat  had  appeared 
above  Iyumbi,  to  which  we  clung  in  order  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  mainland ;  and  coming  to  a  narrow  creek 
we  ran  in,  expecting,  although  its  direction  was  a  little 
too  easterly,  that  perhaps  we  should  emerge  on  the 
Congo.  There  was  a  sluggish  current  in  it,  and  we 
kept  on,  but  after  seventeen  miles  it  narrowed,  and 
reeds  finally  stopped  further  passage,  and  we  had  to 
return,  opposite  the  village  of  Ikulu. 

We  had  not  perceived  many  villages  as  we  had 
steamed  along  ;  but  in  coming  back  we  sighted  about 
twenty  canoes  in  the  creek  advancing  towards  us. 
They  had  appeared  from  some  direction  through  the 
reeds.  These,  on  seeing  us,  hastily  turned  back,  but 
wishing  to  know  from  them  which  route  to  take,  the 
En  Avant  cast  off  the  whale-boat  which  she  had  been 
towing,  and  steamed  after  them  at  full  speed. 

Not  until  we  had  run  five  miles  could  we  overtake 
the  flying  flotilla,  and  then  we  found  that  their  crews 
were  women,  who  to  escape  us,  dashed  into  the  reeds, 


LUKOLELA. 


13 


and  splashed  clumsily  with  water  up  to  their  necks  to 
reach  the  shore.  Not  a  word  would  they  answer  ;  but  ikuiu. 
stood,  on  reaching  the  shore,  sulkily  regarding  us. 
As  we  steamed  six  knots  an  hour,  an  idea  may  be 
gained  of  the  speed  which  the  natives  when  pressed  in 
their  canoes  attain.  These  also  were  mere  fishing: 
pirogues.  Had  they  been  war  canoes  it  is  likely  our 
steamer  would  have  been  beaten  in  the  race. 

On  the  31st  of  May  we  had  a  tolerably  fair  journey, 
but  the  wind  blew  down  river,  and  impeded  us.  Two 
trading  canoes  with  twenty  paddlers  in  each  were  over- 
taken, which  kept  pace  with  us  the  rest  of  the  day, 
and  camped  sociably  with  us  on  a  park-like  terrace, 
which  showed  soft  young  grass,  while  the  forest  ran 
in  a  deep  black  semicircle  behind  us.  The  By-janzi 
canoe-men  were  bound  for  Ubangi. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  after  following  a  dense  forest 
for  nine  hours,  we  drew  near  another  settlement. 
Our  provisions  were  running  exceedingly  low.  Eighty 
coloured  men  and  seven  Europeans  consume  at  least 
250  lbs.  weight  of  food  daily.  Since  leaving  Bolobo, 
nearly  half  a  ton  weight  of  provisions  had  been  eaten. 
It  behoved  us  then  to  prepare  ourselves  for  barter 
with  the  community  in  view,  which  our  guides  called 
Lukolela. 

The  settlement  ran  along  a  crescented  bend  of  the 
river,  above  a  steep  clay  bank  ranging  from  5  feet  to 
25  feet  above  the  water,  in  a  clearing  cut  out  of  the 
finest  forest  I  had  vet  seen.  The  trees  had  not  been 
much  thinned,  so  that  from  a  distance,  but  for  the 


THE  CONGO. 


grey  gleam  of  huts  and  the  green  sheen  of  bananas, 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  tell  that  a  settlement 
so  large  as  Lukolela  existed  here.  The  islands  also 
showed  glorious  growths  of  timber.  We  began  steam- 
ing slowly  the  while  to  initiate  acquaintance  at  the 
very  lowest  village.  There  was  no  answer  rendered, 
but  the  groups  of  bronze-bodied  people  grew  larger 
and  more  numerous.  We  unrolled  crimson  savelist, 
bright  red  royal  handkerchiefs,  striped  florentines, 
lengths  of  blue  baft,  held  out  fistfuls  of  brass  rods, 
and  suspended  long  necklaces  of  brightest  beads. 
Msenne  of  Mswata  stood  up  on  the  cabin-deck  of  the 
En  Avant,  the  observed  of  all  observers,  admired  for 
his  pose  and  his  action,  and  delivered  his  oration  with 
a  voice  which  might  be  envied  by  an  auctioneer. 

44  Ho,  Wy-yanzi,  tribesmen  of  Lukolela,  sons  of  Iuka 
and  Mungawa,  whose  names  are  beloved  by  my  lord 
and  chief  Gobila !  Ho,  you  men !  Know  you  not 
Gobila — Gobila  of  Mswata,  the  friend  of  Wy-yanzi  ?  " 
said  Gobila  to  me.  "  Here,  take  Bula  Matari,  the 
only  Bula  Matari,  the  good  Bula  Matari !  " 

"  Hush,  Msenne' ;  that  is  not  the  way  to  speak.  You 
are  laughing  at  me,"  I  urged,  for  my  modesty  was 
shocked. 

"  Never  mind ;  Msenne  knows  the  way  into  the 
heart  of  the  Wy-yanzi.  Ha !  it  takes  me  to  conquer 
their  obduracy." 

"  Wy-yanzi  of  Lukolela,  here  sits  Bula  Matari !  He 
has  come  here  to  make  friends  with  you.  He  wants 
food.    He  is  prepared  to  pay  well.    Now  is  the  time 


A  POOR  RECEPTION. 


15 


for  Inka  and  Mungawa  to  show  themselves  kind  friends  iss.x 

.  „  June  I, 

to  Bula  Matan.  Lukoieia. 

Then  up  and  spoke  Ibaka's  slaver. 

"  See  here,  men  of  Lukoieia,  we  are  the  servants  of 
Ibaka — Ibaka  of  Bolobo  !  Ibaka  has  made  brotherhood 
with  Bula  Matari.  Ibaka  commanded  us  to  take  him 
to  you.  Let  your  chiefs,  Iuka  and  Mungawa,  come  out 
and  give  the  good  word." 

The  steamers  held  on  their  way.  The  stentorian 
accents  of  Msenne  were  heard  far  above  the  escape  of 
waste  steam.  The  cloths  were  unrolled  before  every 
village.  At  the  third  village,  however,  a  reply  came 
that  all  the  chiefs  were  dead,  and  that  small-pox  had 
decimated  the  inhabitants,  and  that  famine  was  killing 
the  people  that  were  left ! 

"  Frightful,"  we  exclaimed.  "  But  those  men  on  the 
banks  look  too  fat  to  be  suffering  from  famine." 

We  came  to  the  upper  extremity  of  the  community, 
which  occupied  about  five  miles  of  the  left  bank,  and 
half  an  hour  later  we  came  to  where  the  Congo  con- 
tracted and  issued  out  a  stately  united  flood  1J  miles 
wide  from  the  right  bank  to  the  left  bank.  Hoping 
that  if  we  camped  in  the  neighbourhood  we  should  be 
followed,  we  prepared  to  put  up  for  the  night  in  the 
forest. 

As  we  anticipated,  the  natives  soon  came  up,  and 
fowls,  goats,  ripe  and  green  plantains  and  bananas, 
cassava  rolls,  cassava  flour,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  eggs, 
and  palm  oil  were  bartered  so  speedily  that  by  sunset 
we  had  sufficient  to  last  two  or  three  days.    Still,  as  we 


16 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    were  ignorant  how  far  we  might  have  to  proceed  before 

June  2. 

Lnkoieia.  meeting  with  another  market  so  well  supplied  as  this, 
we  agreed  to  resume  the  marketing  next  morning. 

At  sunrise  the  following  day  canoe  after  canoe 
appeared,  and  the  barter  was  so  successfully  conducted 
that  we  had  soon  secured  three  dozen  fowls,  four  goats, 
a  sheep,  and  eight  days'  rations  for  each  member  of  the 
coloured  force.  The  fear  the  natives  entertained  of  the 
strange  steamer  was  now  changed  for  liveliest  admira- 
tion. We  were  no  longer  supposed  to  be  laden  with 
mischief,  but  full  of  "good  things."  They  had  informed 
us  that  they  were  dying  of  famine  yesterday,  but  this 
day  plenty  had  come  back  to  them,  their  chiefs  lived, 
and  no  plague  or  pest  decimated  the  people  ! 

We  asked  them  slyly  what  was  the  cause  of  this 
remarkable  change. 

"Oh,"  they  replied,  "  why  do  you  remember  what  we 
said  in  our  fear  of  you.  Neither  our  oldest  people  nor 
their  fathers  before  them  ever  saw  or  heard  of  such 
things  as  these,"  pointing  to  the  steamers. 

As  it  was  a  capital  position  for  a  station,  we  delicately 
hinted  to  them  that  on  our  return  we  should  have  some 
more  words  with  them. 

The  people  of  Lukolela  some  twenty  years  ago  lived 
on  the  right  bank,  but  the  Irebu  warriors,  during  a  little 
misunderstanding  with  them,  descended  the  river  and 
attacked  and  burnt  their  villages ;  upon  which,  after 
peace  was  restored,  they  crossed  the  Congo  and  esta- 
blished themselves  on  the  left  bank  in  the  noble  forest 
along  the  river. 


NGOMBR  17 
Two  hours  steaming  midday  on  the  2nd  of  June  took  1883. 

Juue  2. 

us  through  the  whole  length  of  this  narrow  and  singular  Lukoieia. 
contraction  of  the  Congo.  The  left  bank  rises  into  a 
hill  probably  100  feet  above  the  river,  nourishing  mag- 
nificent timber ;  the  right  bank  also  shows  that  it  is 
much  higher  than  the  ground  above  or  below  this 
strait-like  contraction  of  the  river  channel,  and  is  also 
remarkable  for  its  fine  trees.  Still  clinging  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  we  entered  a  narrow  channel  between 
islets  exuberant  with  flourishing  forests,  and  low  shores 
showing  alternately  prairie  levels,  and  low,  tree-clad 
ridges  running  perpendicularly  to  the  river. 

We  passed  three  villages,  which  sent  out  scouts  to  us 
with  fresh  fish  to  sell,  and  to  glean  intelligence  about 
the  strange  craft  that  made  such  unusual  noises.  They 
were  too  small  and  insignificant  to  induce  us  to  delay 
our  advance. 

On  the  evening  of  this  day  as  we  were  at  camp  in 
a  deserted  village  two  hours  above  the  highest  of  these 
villages,  fourteen  dense  divisions  of  small  birds  were 
seen  flying  from  the  direction  of  the  right  to  the  left 
bank,  and  a  straggling  army  of  large  birds  of  the  size 
of  crows  followed  till  the  dusk  deepened ;  they  were 
too  high  to  enable  me  to  distinguish  them. 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  having  selected  a 
camp  a  few  miles  below  Ngombe,  two  canoes  approached 
us,  calling  out  the  name  of  "  Stanley  "  with  excellent 
pronunciation.  They  had  picked  up  the  name  by  some 
odd  fashion,  and  wjould  doubtless  have  hailed  the  first 
white  with  it  in  the  same  way.  They  only  wished  to  sell 
Vol.  II.— 2 


18 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    fish  and  young  crocodiles.    Our  engineers,  from  pure 

June  3. 

NgomW.  fim>  patronised  them,  and  purchased  one  young  croco- 
dile, of  whose  character  we  came  to  know  a  great  deal 
before  he  deserted  us.  The  crocodilian  character,  from 
what  we  discovered  of  it,  would  make  a  fine  one  for  a 
novel.  The  ungrateful  little  beast,  lashed  to  a  strong 
tree  close  to  the  river,  despite  our  kindness  to  him, 
deserted  our  expedition  during  the  night.  Lukolela 
finds  the  hatching  of  crocodiles  to  be  remunerative. 
When  nests  are  discovered,  they  take  the  eggs  and 
place  them  in  sand  in  a  locality  little  disturbed,  and 
when  the  shell  is  broken  and  the  young  emerge, 
they  are  placed  in  a  pond  which  is  carefully  covered 
with  a  net.  They  are  here  fed  until  they  have  attained 
a  certain  weight  and  size ;  and  on  market  days  they 
are  taken  out  to  be  sold. 

On  the  4th  of  June  we  passed  several  populous 
districts,  first  Ngombe,  which  is  situated  at  another 
contraction  of  the  Congo  similar  to  the  one  described 
at  Lukolela.  Below  and  above  Ngombe  the  river  is 
from  four  to  six  miles  wide ;  but  at  the  strait  all  the 
various  channels  of  the  Congo  are  united  in  one  stream, 
which  flows  nearly  two  miles  wide  with  a  strong  current. 
On  the  left  bank  is  Ngombe,  high  and  dry  on  a  level 
about  40  feet  above  the  river,  with  a  wealth  of  banana- 
groves  and  other  signs  of  abundance. 

A  few  miles  higher  up  than  the  Strait  of  Ngombe' 
is  the  district  of  Nkuku,  inhabited  by  a  people  that 
showed  a  strong  inclination  to  trade.  They  followed 
us  for  such  a  distance,  offering  articles  for  sale  without 


CORDIAL  RECEPTION  OF  USINDI. 


19 


success,  until  they  showed  us  a  couple  of  Muscovy  ducks,  1883. 
which  we  bought  with  the  value  of  Is.  4d.  each.  Nkuekll 

Two  hours  later  we  arrived  opposite  Butunu,  at 
which  the  natives  raised  frantic  cries  expressive  of 
delight.  "  Malamu  !  malamu  !  "  ("  Good  !  good  !  ")  was 
echoed  from  end  to  end. 

One  hour  beyond  Butunu  we  came  to  the  populous 
district  of  Usindi,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  out- 
rageous in  their  clamours  of  applause.  These  were 
so  irrepressible  in  their  joy  that  a  hearty  response 
from  our  side  was  not  deemed  enough.  About  a 
hundred  manned  their  canoes,  followed  us,  bawled 
at  ns,  and  finally  stormed  at  us  in  a  friendly  manner, 
until  we  halted.  Eleven  fellows  immediately  came 
aboard  the  En  Avant,  sprawled  over  everybody,  shook 
hands  with  white  and  black,  old  and  young,  and 
when  they  saw  the  black  boiler  they  seemed  to  look  so 
earnestly  at  it  that  it  might  have  been  thought  they 
would  embrace  it.  More  of  these  thoughtless,  irre- 
pressible rogues  would  have  come  aboard  had  we  per- 
mitted it,  but  as  we  were  already  captured  we  yielded 
and  steamed  back  again  to  the  landing-place  of  Usindi, 
the  hardy  eleven  looking  as  proud  as  though  they  had 
done  a  gallant  deed  worthy  of  the  Victoria  or  the  Iron 
cross. 

On  the  shore  a  perfect  burst  of  joyful  welcoming 
met  us.  Such  an  extraordinary  people  !  Nkuku 
smiled  on  us;  Butunu  hailed  us  as  friends,  but 
Usindi  shot  out  to  midstream  to  embrace  us !  This 
remarkable   and   sudden   development  of  friendship 


20 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    anions'  people  300  miles  above  Stanlev  Pool  excited 

June  4. 

rsindi.  wonder  for  some  hours,  until  they  told  us  that  many  of 
their  people  had  seen  Le'opoldville  and  Kintamo,  and 
had  seen  our  big  house  and  wagons  and  boats  in  the 
port. 

Our  reception  at  Usindi  was  so  warm  and  friendly 
that  we  passed  a  very  agreeable  time  there  until  noon 
of  the  5th.  Iuka,  the  chief,  would  have  given  me  half 
of  his  village  had  we  asked  for  it — anything,  did  we 
but  agree  to  stop  and  build  with  them.  They  were  a 
most  polite  people,  I  observed,  being  all  unanimous  to 
abstain  from  giving  the  least  offence  or  alarm,  and 
keeping  back  every  warlike  weapon  from  coming 
into  view.  I  may  say  this  was  the  first  spot  out  of 
civilisation  that  I  saw  any  such  polite  delicacy.  Con- 
fident in  their  own  strength,  I  presume,  they  thought 
it  was  not  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  barbarous 
art  of  terrorising. 

Seventy  minutes  above  Usindi  we  entered  a  deep 
channel  300  yards  wide,  between  a  reedy  island,  as  we 
imagined  it  to  be,  and  a  still  larger  settlement,  or 
cluster  of  towns,  than  the  one  we  had  just  left.  The 
shore  along  its  entire  length  was  lined  with  hundreds 
of  bronze-bodied  people,  but  not  one  voice  was  heard 
calling  out  to  us.  This  we  took  to  be  an  omen  of  dis- 
trust, and  affected  to  pass  on  ;  but  we  had  not  proceeded 
more  than  a  few  miles  up  the  channel  before  we  were 
aware  we  were  pursued.  We  halted  and  permitted  the 
canoemen  to  approach.  They  bore  to  us,  they  said,  an 
invitation  to  visit  Mangombo,  chief  of  Irebu. 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  CHAMPION  TRADERS. 


21 


Of  course  we  knew  it  was  the  populous  district  of  1883. 
Irebu,  the  home  of  the  champion  traders  on  the  Upper  Ir(.hll 
Congo,  rivalled  only  in  numbers  and  enterprise  by 
Ubangi  on  the  right  bank.  Irebu  traders,  descending 
in  canoes,  overwhelmed  the  aborigines  of  Lukolela,  as 
the  latter  themselves  had  admitted.  They  had  mastered 
populous  Ngombe',  awed  Nkuku,  Butunu  and  Usindi, 
and  we  had  heard  vague  rumours  that  they  had  taught 
the  fierce  Bangala  to  treat  their  traders  with  respect. 
It  was  in  fact  a  Venice  of  the  Congo,  seated  in  the 
pride  of  its  great  numbers  between  the  dark  waters  of 
the  Lukanga  and  the  deep  brown  channels  of  the 
parent  stream. 

There  were  hundreds  of  people  standing  eagerly 
expectant  of  the  arrival  of  the  flotilla  in  the  covelet 
of  Upper  Irebu,  men,  women  and  children,  from  the 
very  old  and  grey-headed  to  the  young  naked  copper- 
skinned  gamin.  Though  so  numerous,  an  instinctive 
hush  governed  the  crowd  into  deep  silence  as  the 
engines  stopped  and  the  boats  glided  to  their  berths 
along  the  shore.  Not  until  the  crew  leaped  over  the 
gunwales  with  the  anchors,  and  the  chains  ceased 
running  through  the  brazen  chocks,  was  the  silence 
broken,  and  then  a  muffled  murmur  of  applause  was 
heard  as  each  remarked  to  the  other  his  admiration  of 
the  vessels. 

Mangombo,  with  a  curious  long  staff  a  fathom  and  a 
half  in  length,  having  a  small  spade  of  brass  at  one 
end,  much  resembling  a  baker's  cake-spade,  stood  in 
front.    He  was  a  man  probably  sixty  years  old,  but 


22 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    active,  and  by  no  means  aged-looking,  and  he  waited 

June  6. 

irebu.  to  greet  me.  On  going  ashore  my  hand  was  grasped 
by  Mangombo  and  about  half-a-dozen  of  the  principal 
men,  and  we  sought  the  shade  of  a  convenient  tree 
by  the  waterside  to  talk. 

I  was  very  soon  impressed  by  the  intelligent  appear- 
ance of  the  men  grouped  around  me.  They  had  an  air 
of  worldly  knowledge  and  travel  about  them,  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  stupid  bewildering  wonderment  with 
which  we  were  so  familiar.  For  these  people  were 
really  acquainted  with  many  lands  and  tribes  on  the 
Upper  Congo.  From  Stanley  Pool  to  Upoto,  a  distance 
of  600  miles,  they  knew  every  landing-place  on  the 
river  banks.  All  the  ups  and  downs  of  savage  life,  all 
the  profits  and  losses  derived  from  barter,  all  the  diplo- 
matic arts  used  bv  tactful  savages  were  as  well  known 
to  them  as  the  Roman  alphabet  is  to  us.  They  knew 
the  varied  lengths  of  the  sina  ("long"  of  cloth),  the 
number  of  matako  (brass  rods)  they  were  worth, 
whether  of  savelist,  florentine,  unbleached  domestic, 
twill,  stripe,  ticking,  blue  and  white  baft ;  the  value  of 
beads  per  thousand  strings,  as  compared  with  uncut 
pieces  of  sheeting,  or  kegs  of  gunpowder,  or  flint-lock 
muskets,  short  and  long.  They  could  tell,  by  poising 
on  the  arm,  what  profit  on  an  ivory  tusk  purchased 
at  Langa-Langa  would  be  derived  by  sale  at  Stanley 
Pool! 

No  wonder  that  all  this  mercantile  knowledge  had 
left  its  traces  on  their  faces ;  indeed  it  is  the  same  as  in 
your  own  cities  of  Europe.  Know  you  not  the  military 


NATIVE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  TRADE. 


23 


man  among  you,  the  lawyer  or  the  merchant,  the  L883. 
banker,  the  artist  or  the  poet  ?  It  is  the  same  in  Africa,  irUbu. 
more  especially  on  the  Congo,  where  the  people  are  so 
devoted  to  trade.  There  is  a  slight  difference,  however, 
in  the  features  (or  rather  air  diffused  over  them)  of  the 
resident  trader  and  the  trading  navigator.  The  resident 
may  be  a  sharp  man  at  a  bargain,  but  he  is  as  likely  as 
not  to  be  boorish,  rustic,  or  unsophisticated  in  manner. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Wy-yanzi  traders  of  Usindi, 
Butunu,  Ubangi,  and  Irebu  are  sedate  and  self-pos- 
sessed in  their  deportment,  while  a  certain  frank 
business-like  directness  and  open-minded  simplicity 
may  be  observed  in  their  mode  of  speech.  At  the 
same  time  they  are  barbarous  enough  not  to  be  averse 
from  fighting  on  occasion.  They  quite  surprised  me, 
after  a  careful  and  analytical  perusal  of  their  features, 
by  declaring  they  were  even  then  at  war !  Upper 
Jrebu  was  at  war  with  Lower  Irebu !  The  guns  could 
be  heard  even  then  at  it,  though  I  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  they  were  fighting. 

Generally  the  first  day  of  acquaintance  with  the 
Congo  river  tribes  is  devoted  to  chatting,  sounding  one 
another's  principles,  and  getting  at  one  another's  ideas. 
The  chief  entertains  his  guest  with  gifts  of  food,  goats, 
beer,  fish,  &c. ;  then  on  the  next  day  commences  business 
and  reciprocal  exchange  of  gifts.    So  it  was  at  Irebu. 

Mangombo  gave  four  hairy  thin-tailed  sheep,  ten 
glorious  bunches  of  bananas,  two  great  pots  of  beer,  and 
the  usual  accompaniments  of  small  stores. 

The  next  day  we  made  blood  brotherhood.  The 


24 


THE  CONGO. 


i883._  fetish-man  pricked  each  of  our  right  arms,  pressed  the 
irebu.  blood  out,  then,  with  a  pinch  of  scrapings  from  my  gun- 
stock,  a  little  salt,  a  few  dusty  scrapings  from  a  long 
pod,  dropped  over  the  wounded  arms,  and  the  black 
and  white  arms  were  mutually  rubbed  together.  The 
fetish-man  took  the  long  pod  in  his  hand  and  slightly 
touched  our  necks,  our  heads,  our  arms,  and  our  legs, 
muttering  rapidly  his  litany  of  incantations.  What 
was  left  of  the  medicine  Mangombo  and  I  carefully 
folded  in  a  banana  leaf,  and  we  bore  it  reverently 
between  us  to  a  banana  grove  close  by,  and  buried  the 
dust  out  of  sight. 

Mangombo,  now  my  brother,  by  solemn  interchange 
of  blood,  consecrated  to  my  service  as  I  was  devoted 
in  the  sacred  fetish  bond  to  his  service,  revealed  his 
trouble,  and  implored  my  aid.  The  notables  of  Irebu 
were  gathered  round  us,  and  then  Mangombo  spoke,  of 
which  the  following  is  the  substance : 

"  Some  time  ago  I  sent  three  canoes  to  I  boko  (Ban- 
gala).  My  men  traded  prosperously  ;  they  had  obtained 
a  valuable  cargo  of  ivory,  and  were  about  returning, 
when  a  sudden  quarrel  took  place  between  the  Bangala 
and  Irebu.  Our  people  were  on  shore;  they  fought 
stubbornly  to  save  their  ivory ;  out  of  seventy  people 
thirty-three  were  killed  ;  thirty -seven  of  them  managed 
to  save  a  few  tusks,  seized  one  of  their  canoes,  and 
paddled  away  to  tell  us  this  dismal  story.  Of  course 
all  trade  was  stopped.  Of  those  thirty-three  men  who 
were  slain  in  the  fight,  twenty-eight  were  of  my  town  ; 
but  five  belonged  to  Lower  Irebu.    You  must  know 


WAR  IN  IREBU. 


25 


that  the  community  of  Irebu  is  divided  into  three  parts  1883. 

J  m  June  6. 

— Lower,  Upper,  and  Central  Irebu.  Magwala  is  chief  irebu. 
of  Lower  Irebu ;  Mpika  is  chief  of  Central  Irebu ;  I 
am  lord  of  the  upper  portion.  Magwala  and  Mangombo 
are  the  principal  chiefs,  and  before  this  misfortune, 
wrhich  I  am  about  to  tell  you,  occurred,  I  was  con- 
sidered the  superior  chief  of  all.  Some  months  after 
the  massacre  of  our  young  men  at  Iboko,  a  flotilla  of 
Bangala  canoes  were  seen  going  down  river  bound  to 
Xgombe.  Mpika  heard  of  this,  and  giving  chase 
captured  a  canoe  with  eight  of  the  Bangala  on  board. 
Mpika,  forgetting  that  I  had  lost  twenty-eight  men  to 
his  five,  did  not  deign  to  let  me  have  my  share  of  the 
prisoners,  but  when  I  sent  to  him  asking  him  to  be 
fair,  he  replied,  '  No  ;  they  were  my  men  who  captured 
them.  I  keep  these  in  revenge  for  my  five.  Go  you 
and  do  likewise,  for  I  will  not  give  you  one  of  my 
prisoners.'  On  appealing  to  Magwala,  he  answered 
that  Mpika  was  right,  and  should  keep  what  he  had 
obtained  by  force  of  arms.  My  people,  however,  were 
not  satisfied  with  this ;  their  loss  was  too  recent  and 
too  great,  and  they  forced  me  to  declare  war.  About 
ten  days  ago  we  began  it.  I  have  lost  six  more  of  my 
people  in  four  fights  :  over  twenty  of  my  men  have 
been  wounded.  Magwala  and  Mpika  have  also  lost 
heavily.  Irebu  lifts  its  hands  against  Irebu;  friends 
and  brothers  slay  one  another.  All  trade  is  stopped. 
We  go  out  and  come  in  by  night  only.  The  women 
of  Irebu  are  mourning  daily ;  and  if  this  evil,  which  is 
worse  even  than  the  small-pox,  continues  much  longer, 


26 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    Irebu  will  be  no  longer  known  as  the  strongest  tribe 

June  6. 

irebu.    011  ™e  great  river. 

"  Now,  Bula  Matari,  you  have  come  in  good  time 
to  save  us  from  this  mutual  slaughter.  We  have 
heard  of  you  years  ago.  Chumbiri  told  us  your  name 
was  Stanley.  When  you  were  coming  down  river 
with  your  many  canoes,  we  lay  in  wait  for  you  behind 
that  large  island,  but  we  did  not  attack  you.  We 
heard  of  Bula  Matari  building  towns  at  Kintamo,  at 
Mswata,  and  Bolobo ;  but  we  did  not  know  who  Bula 
Matari  was,  until  Ibaka,  some  moons  past,  told  us  that 
Bula  Matari  was  Stanley.  You  belong  to  Irebu  now. 
You  must  save  Irebu  from  death  and  ruin." 

"  Mangombo,"  I  replied,  "  I  should  like  to  do  it,  but 
I  have  other  work  before  me.  I  must  go  to  Ikengo 
first,  and  on  my  return  I  will  do  what  I  can.  Mean- 
time, stop  fighting." 

"Ah,  that  is  easy  to  say!  but  Magvvala  and  Mpika 
must  also  stop  fighting.    Will  you  speak  to  them?" 

"  I  will  send  a  boat  to  tell  them  that  Mangombo  has 
asked  me  to  settle  the  war,  but  that  I  cannot  stay 
now ;  and  I  will  ask  them  to  wait  until  I  return 
to  make  peace." 

Enough  has  been  said,  as  near  to  Mangombo's  own 
words  as  the  necessities  of  this  book  will  permit,  of  this 
internecine  war  which  was  raging  in  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  and  populous  districts  on  the  Upper  Congo. 
According  to  my  promise  I  proceeded  in  my  boat 
opposite  Mpika  and  Magwala's  landing-places,  and 
offered  to  mediate  between  the  contending  factions,  on 


LUKANGA  RIVER. 


27 


the  condition  that  they  would  refrain  from  hostilities  1883. 

June  6. 

during  fifteen  days.  Mpika  consented  immediately,  as  Irebu> 
it  fortunately  turned  out  that  he  was  the  blood-brother 
of  Lieutenant  Janssen  at  Mswata,  and  that  he  origi- 
nally owned  the  large  canoe  then  lashed  alongside  of 
the  steam-launch  Royal.  Magwala  was  not  so  willing  to 
agree  to  the  compact  of  truce,  but  was  finally  prevailed 
upon  by  his  friend  Mpika. 

I  observed  that  in  the  covelet  of  Upper  Irebu  there 
was  no  current,  and  1  suspected  that  there  must  be 
another  lake  in  the  vicinity,  and  on  inquiry  I  ascer- 
tained that  there  was  "  big  water  "  a  few  hours'  journey 
up  the  Lukanga ;  but  the  Congo  tribes  are  in  daily 
presence  of  such  large  bodies  of  water,  that  the  vicinity 
of  a  lake  appears  to  be  nothing  extraordinary  to  them. 
It  is  only  with  inland  peoples  that  it  becomes  a  worthy 
topic  to  boast  of  lakes.  This  accounts  for  the  great 
difficulty  of  exciting  sufficient  interest  in  these  riverine 
tribes  to  draw  from  them  exact  information.  They 
always  use  the  terms  "  plenty  of  water,"  "  big  water,'* 
"  big  river,"  which  I  find  by  experience  to  apply 
equally  to  streams  furnishing  just  sufficient  water  for 
canoe  navigation. 

The  water  of  the  Lukanga  is  of  the  same  black 
colour  as  the  Mfini  and  Lake  Leopold  II. ;  and  some 
of  the  Irebu  stated  to  me  that  they  could  reach  G-an- 
kabi's  by  navigating  the  Lukanga,  Mantumba  Lake, 
and  floating  down  a  river  to  Lake  Leopold  II.  and  the 
Mfini  River.  This  aroused  my  curiosity  greatly,  but 
I  had  to  defer  the  investigation  of  the  truth  of  this 


28 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    report  until  my  return  from  the  equatorial  district,  as 

I  une  6. 

Irebu     I  bad  not  the  means  to  idly  feed  eighty  people. 

With  a  guide  from  Mangombo  and  Msenne  of 
Mswata,  we  set  out  from  the  mouth  of  the  Lukanga 
and  Upper  Irebu,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of  June, 
up  the  Congo. 

Among  the  topics  I  heard  discussed  between  the 
groups  of  commoners  near  the  landing-place  of  Irebu 
was  the  difference  between  Stanley  and  Bula  Matari. 
The  majority  contended  that  though  Stanley  was  the 
first  "Mundele"  who  appeared  on  the  river,  and 
fought  everybody  who  attempted  to  stop  him,  yet  it 
was  really  Bula  Matari  who  sent  him  to  find  all  about 
the  country,  and  who  owned  all  the  men  and  canoes. 
For,  look  you,  Stanley  had  only  canoes  like  we  have, 
wThereas  this  Bula  Matari  has  only  one  canoe ;  all  the 
rest  are  boats  that  we  never  saw  the  like  anywhere. 
No :  Stanley  must  be  Bula  Matari's  vizier,  or  big 
captain  ;  for,  you  see,  Bula  Matari  has  many  towns, 
and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  bales  of  cloth. 
"  Stanley  gave  proper  measure  of  brass  rods ;  when 
we  go  to  Kintamo  we  shall  ask  for  Stanley's  brass 
rods  ;  they  are  half  as  long  again  as  the  rods  of  the 
Bateke'  at  the  Pool." 

The  notables  of  Irebu  were  urgent  for  the  medicine 
to  make  wealth  grow  quickly.  I  imparted  to  them 
the  lesson  of  trading,  but  this  advice  they  rejected  with 
scorn  and  contempt.  They  knew  well  enough  how  to 
trade,  but  their  wealth  they  confessed  never  increased. 

u  You,"  said  they,  "  must  have  some  charm  by  which 


COOKING  THE  BIG  FOT. 


29 


jour  store  increases  without  care.  We  saw  at  Kintamo  1883. 

Juue  6. 

one  day  your  shelves  all  empty ;  the  very  next  day  irebu. 
when  wre  called  they  were  rilled  from  top  to  bottom. 
We  wish  to  know  this  secret." 

The  slaves  of  Ibaka  boasted  that  they  knew  it, 
consequently  their  hut  was  besieged  with  applicants, 
and  they  made  nearly  two  hundred  brass  rods  by 
their  extraordinary  charlatanry. 

Another  subject  of  interested  discussion  among  the 
Irebu  was,  "  What  was  it  that  turned  the  paddle-wheels 
of  the  En  AvantV  This  was  a  difficult  puzzle  to 
them.  Some  would  have  it  that  there  were  about 
twenty  men  concealed  somewhere  in  the  bottom  of  the 
steamer.  Others  doubted  that,  and  hotly  maintained 
that  the  secret  was  in  that  "  big  pot "  (boiler),  other- 
wise why  should  the  cook  (engineer)  be  always  near 
it  making  up  the  fire  inside.  But  what  was  it  that 
the  engineer  was  cooking  so  industriously  ?  Ah  !  that 
was  another  puzzle. 

"  Whatever  it  is,"  said  they,  "  it  takes  a  long  time 
to  cook.  That  engineer  has  been  cooking  all  day,  and 
it  is  not  finished  vet.  tt  must  be  a  strong  medicine 
that ;  and  all  that  large  pile  of  wood  has  been  used  up. 
The  two  other  boats  have  similar  pots,  into  which  their 
cooks  shove  in  fuel  continually.  Perhaps  if  wre  had  also 
big  pots  in  our  canoes,  and  we  had  some  of  the  white 
man's  medicine,  w^e  need  not  toil  any  more  with  tired 
arms  at  our  paddles,  and  suffer  from  aches  and  pains  in 
our  shoulders." 

Fifty  miles  above  Irebu  we  came  to  Ikengo  at 


30 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    10  a.m.  on  the  8th  of  June.    The  land  between  had 

June  8. 

ikengo.  been  almost  one  unbroken  verdant  forest  of  fine  timber 
— teak,  mahogany,  guiacum,  red  and  yellow  wood, 
fine  gum,  plane,  and  bombax  abundant,  and  frequently 
of  enormous  girth.  The  islands  were  long,  and  showed 
forests  of  equal  height  and  luxuriance,  while  their 
sides  presented  tangled  undergrowths  of  various  species 
of  palms  and  rattan. 

On  the  appearance  of  the  flotilla,  the  Ikengo  people 
dashed  out  into  the  stream  to  meet  us,  in  scores  of  tiny 
canoes,  all  crying  out  their  welcome,  and  shouting  the 
praises  of  their  various  villages,  precisely  like  hotel 
touters  throughout  the  Levant. 

"  Come  to  Ikengo/'  they  cried.  "Ikengo  is  rich; 
Ikengo  has  abundance  of  food."  "No,  come  to  Itumbu. 
Come  and  see  Inganda.  Inganda  has  ivory ?  slaves, 
women,  goats,  sheep,  pigs.  Inganda  is  blessed  with 
abundance.  Stanley,  have  you  forgotten  us ;  we  who 
traded  with  you  years  ago  ?  Ah,  Stanley,  come  on  to 
Ikengo.  There  is  plenty  of  beer  and  wine  in  Ikengo." 
And  thus  these  extraordinary  people  extolled  the  vir- 
tues of  their  respective  villages,  making  the  river  alive 
with  their  increasing  throng  and  restless  movement. 

After  carefully  weighing  the  various  advantages  of 
the  villages,  since  I  well  recognised  the  locality,  which 
in  1877  provided  me  by  their  impromptu  market  on 
one  of  the  islands  opposite,  I  chose  Inganda  as  a  tem- 
porary resting-place. 

Like  all  the  Wy-yanzi,  from  the  Kwa  upward,  the 
people  were  of  a  wholesome,  healthy  bronze  colour,  but, 


INOANDA.  31 

unlike  the  others,  they  affected  caps  of  monkey,  otter,  j1^* 
leopard,  goat,  and  antelope  skin,  while  their  swords  ikengo. 
hung  suspended  by  broad  shoulder-belts  of  red  buffalo- 
hide.    Cotton  cloth,  however,  was  rare  among  these 


A  VERY  POOR  NATIVE  OF  INGANDA  AND  HIS  DRESS. 


people,  their  dress  being  a  fine  or  coarse  tissue  made  of 
grassy  fibre. 

I  selected  Inganda  as  a  stopping  place,  whence, 
while  affecting  to  make  preparations  for  settlement,  I 
might  reconnoitre  that  large  affluent  the  Ikelemba, 
mentioned  in  the  ;  Through  the  Dark  Continent.'  Pos- 


32  THE  CONGO. 

1883.    sibly  I  might  secure  a  site  at  the  confluence.    If  the 

June  11. 

inganda.  natives  were  too  wild  to  permit  of  a  settlement  there, 
then  I  might  remain  at  Inganda,  and  wait  the  progress 
of  our  influence. 

Numerous  inquiries  about  the  distinctions  between 
the  rivers  meeting  elicited  the  most  confusing  replies. 
The  Ikelemba  was  large ;  but  when  they  illustrated  the 
distance  between  bank  and  bank  by  an  object  near 
them,  the  width  seemed  to  vary  between  50  and  100 
yards.  This  was  incredible.  In  my  former  book  I  had 
stated  it  to  be  about  1000  yards  wide.  I  had  viewed  it 
personally.  These  were  the  same  people  who  formerly 
had  called  the  river  "  Ikelemba,"  or  "  Buruki."  A  com- 
municative aborigine,  hailing  from  Bungata,  on  the 
right  bank,  drew  a  curve  on  the  ground,  and  near  the 
middle  of  its  convex  side,  at  equal  distances,  joined 
three  lines  at  right  angles  to  it,  the  lowest  marked  as 
the  channel  coming  from  Bungata,  the  second  channel 
flowing  from  Lulungu,  the  highest  proceeding  from 
Ikelemba  River.  The  upper  horn  of  the  curve  he 
named  Buruki  or  Mohindu.  The  lower  horn  of  the 
curve  was  called  Inganda,  where  we  were  encamped. 
This  curve,  then,  seemed  to  represent  a  river  into 
which  three  channels  ran ;  but  when  I  asked  him  to 
describe  the  Mohindu  river — Mohindu  signifying  black 
— he  contemptuously  described  it  to  be  about  twenty- 
five  yards  wide  ! 

Well,  then,  what  great  river  was  that  which  I  saw 
approaching  the  broad  Congo,  attracting  my  curious 
gaze  by  its  magnificent  breadth  ;  tea-dark  in  colour,  as 


BUS  UK  I. 


33 


strong  a  contrast  to  the  flood  that  bore  my  canoes  1883. 

June  1 1 

along,  as  the  sable  faces  of  my  crew  differed  from  my  jngan,ia> 
own  ?    I  was  becoming  exasperated  at  my  own  obtuse- 
ness,  and  I  was  impatient  to  settle  the  doubts  which 
agitated  me. 

Leaving  the  rest  of  the  expedition  at  Inganda,  1 
steamed  up  river  in  the  En  Avant,  in  search  of  that 
"  magnificent "  and  tea-coloured  affluent.  Within 
seventy-five  minutes  I  had  arrived  near  the  very 
spot  whence  I  had  viewed  it  six  years  previously,  and 
I  felt  a  glow  of  satisfaction  in  again  looking  upon 
what  I  conceived  to  be  the  greatest  tributary  of  the 
Congo.  I  steamed  across  from  the  islands  to  the  left 
mainland,  and  half-way  across  the  river  we  entered 
the  tea-hued  half  of  it.  On  proceeding  fairly  out  of 
what  I  considered  to  be  the  Congo  proper  into  it,  the 
1000  yards  I  reduced  to  800  yards,  but  it  was  deep, 
with  a  three-knot  current.  Four  hours  above  Inganda, 
during  which  the  "magnificence"  of  my  affluent  was 
considerably  diminished,  owing  to  the  fact  that  three 
channels  had  been  seen  coming  from  the  Congo  proper, 
the  river  took  a  decided  turn  south-east,  and  then  I 
felt  convinced  that  I  was  ascending  a  tributarv.  But 
I  was  not  a  whit  elated  at  discovering  that  the  Dark 
River  had  decreased  to  a  breadth  of  about  600  vards. 

Buruki,  which  name  the  aborigines  had  repeated  so 
often,  was  a  large  town  situated  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Mohindu,  about  three  miles  above  the  confluence. 
The  shores  on  either  side  were  low,  on  the  right  hand 
too  low  to  be  inhabited,  the  river  water  penetrating 
Vol.  II.— 3 


» 

34 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    far  over  the  swampy  land.    The  timber  bad  a  young 

June  11. 

Buruki.  hut  hardy  look  about  it,  just  such  as  one  would  sup- 
pose would  thrive  in  low  lands,  although  here  and 
there  a  crown  of  dark  foliage  was  uplifted  high  above 
all  others. 

Islands  began  to  be  seen,  but  the  disparting  of  the 
stream  did  not  improve  its  dignity.  We  were  fully 
three  hours  en  route  before  the  banks  appeared,  so  high 
had  the  river  risen.  Ink  water  and  dense  forests  of 
young  trees  were  not  interesting;  strictly  speaking, 
they  approached  to  the  dismal.  The  En  Ava?it,  unen- 
cumbered with  a  boat  astern,  proceeded  rapidly  up  the 
even-flowing  current,  and  not  a  single  incident  tran- 
spired, nor  a  single  object  hove  in  view,  up  to  sunset, 
when  we  camped  on  the  first  trifling  bit  of  dry  bank 
we  discovered. 

The  character  of  wThat  I  saw  of  the  river  inspired 
me  with  the  impression  that  it  belonged  to  a  delta, 
having  a  number  of  narrow  creeks,  of  wonderful 
crookedness,  constantly  emptying  into  the  river.  The 
lowness  of  the  land,  the  young,  yet  hardy  look  of  the 
forest  everywhere ;  the  blackness  of  such  portions  of 
alluvium  as  rose  to  sight,  the  dead,  untroubled  silence, 
the  even-flowing,  rippleless  eddyless  current,  nay,  let 
us  call  it  the  African  Styx,  assisted  to  convey  that 
impression.  Were  it  not  for  the  white  sun,  that  gave 
sheen  and  greenness  to  the  fresh  leafage  of  the  forest, 
the  prospect  had  been  cheerless  indeed. 

The  next  morning  found  us,  at  dawn,  under  weigh, 
with  an  ample  supply  of  red,  or  rather  purple,  hard 


A  THREATENING  DANCE. 


35 


wood  on  board  ;  but  a  little  before  7  a.m.  native  huts  i883. 
appeared  on  the  right  bank,  and  on  the  left  the  land 
uplifted  into  a  wholesome  height,  shaded  ,  by  bright 
green  bananas.  When  we  came  opposite  the  huts,  we 
saw  that  they  bore  the  signs  of  newness.  The  forest 
was  uncleared.  We  looked  to  the  banana  groves,  and 
discovered  not  a  single  soul  in  view.  Was  there  a  war  ? 
Or  had  all  the  villagers  gone  a-pic nicking  into  the  wild 
woods  ?  But  the  En  Avant  rushes  up  the  centre  of  the 
stream,  and  as  the  land  improves,  rising  into  clay  and 
rock  bluffs,  20  and  30  feet  above  the  stream,  a  peopled 
village  is  seen,  first  on  the  left,  and  then  on  the  right 
bank,  and  all  at  once  the  edges  of  the  river  banks  are 
enlivened  with  yellow-bodied  people,  afflicted  with  a 
ferocious  St.  Yitus's  dance.  They  leap  upward,  like  so 
many  acrobats  suddenly  afflicted  with  a  terpsichorean 
mania,  flankwise  and  rearward,  then  forward  with  a 
rush,  bows  in  hand,  drawn  taut  until  the  arrowheads 
seem  to  touch  the  bow.  Those  armed  with  a  spear  and 
shield  only  practise  a  Pyrrhic  dance,  and,  but  for  the 
deep  river,  we  would  take  it  that  they  were  charging 
on  us.  On  the  right  bank,  as  well  as  on  the  left  bank, 
the  people  are  doing  their  best  to  exhibit  their  know- 
ledge of  war  games.  It  is  all  very  interesting,  of 
course.  I  have  always  felt  more  interest  in  looking 
at  human  nature  than  in  studying  other  aspects  of 
creation,  but  just  now  it  is  this  Black  River  that  I 
came  to  see. 

The  En  Avant  goes  plunging  on  at  the  rate  of  seven 
knots  an  hour.    Village  after  village  turns  out  its 


36 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  dancing  corps  of  copper-breasted  braves;  the  right 
bank,  as  well  as  the  left  bank,  salute  us  with  these 
exhibitions.  There  is  a  mile  long  stretch  of  hutted 
bank,  followed  by  about  two  miles  long  of  forest ;  then 
a  similar  village,  followed  by  a  similar  forest,  and  over 
the  villages  are  the  bananas,  seen  to  wave  softly,  with 
the  darker  palms  nodding  in  harmony,  while  the  white 
sun  shines  steadily  over  all.  At  noon  we  are  0°  6'  S. 
Lat.  The  day  before  we  were  in  0°  4'  N.  Lat.,  and  in 
this  interval  of  time  we  had  crossed  the  Equator  twice. 

The  Black  River,  from  bank  to  bank,  was  400  yards 
in  width,  with  a  2|  knot  current;  the  depth,  by  con- 
tinuous trial  with  sounding  pole,  was  unknown.  Tiny 
hills  began  to  appear  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the 
level.  At  about  the  eightieth  mile  from  the  conflu- 
ence we  slackened  speed,  and  tried  to  open  a  conver- 
sation with  the  people  of  a  pleasant-looking  village.  A 
few  of  the  principal  men  advanced  firmly  to  the  edge  of 
the  river  bank,  and  one  spoke  unhesitatingly  thus  : — 

"  We  do  not  know  who  you  are,  or  whence  you 
came,  or  whither  you  go,  or  what  is  your  intent.  If 
you  come  near  enough  to  the  shore  we  will  begin 
fighting.  If  you  wish  to  go  on — go.  If  you  wish  to 
return,  the  river  is  free,  but  touch  not  the  land." 

Was  there  ever  such  candour,  so  beautifully  and 
clearly  expressed,  or  was  it  the  guide's  way  of 
speaking  ? 

We  returned  the  way  we  came,  our  departure  being 
accompanied  by  a  shower  of  sticks,  clods,  stones,  &c, 
which,  however,  did  not  approach  within  200  yards  of 


WANG  ATA. 


37 


our  steamer.  It  is  probably  in  this  way  these  equa-  ixs  ; 
to  rial  people  express  their  farewell !  wlngat 

At  8  p.m.  we  reached  the  camp  we  had  left  in  the 
morning,  and  arrived  at  noon  the  next  day  at  the 


A  NATIVE  ISSUING  TO  THE  WAIi. 


junction  of  the  Mohindu,  or  Black  River,  with  the 
Congo. 

At  Wangata,  seven  miles  below,  commanding  a 
view  of  the  junction  of  three  channels— the  right 
going  up  to  Bungata,  the  middle  leading  to  the  Ikel- 
emba  and  the  Lulungu  rivers,  the  left  leading  to  the 


38 


THE  CONGO. 


188».    Black  River — we  halted  to  converse  with  the  people, 

une  13. 

'angata.  an(*  were  invited  to  approach  the  landing-place. 

Here  we  learned  that  we  were  among  the  Bakuti,  a 
tribe  which  begins  at  Ikengo  and  ends  at  Baruki,  the 
town  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mobindu.  On  the  right 
bank  are  situated  the  Bakanga ;  the  large  island  of 
Nsambana,  nearly  twenty-five  miles  in  length,  occupies 
the  centre  of  the  Congo,  between  the  two  tribes. 

The  Bakuti  soon  made  friendship  with  us  after  the 
customary  forms  of  blood  brotherhood.  Land  was 
shown  to  us  to  build  upon,  then  after  leaving  human 
pledges  for  our  return,  we  hastened  to  Inganda.  On 
the  next  day  we  packed  up  and  transported  the  expedi- 
tion to  Equator  Station,  which  is  situated  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Wangata,  at  0°  V  0"  N.  lat. 

Lieutenant  Vangele  was  appointed  chief  of  the  new 
station,  and  twenty-six  men  were  delivered  over  to 
him  to  form  its  garrison.  Lieutenant  Coquilhat,  with 
twenty  more  men,  was  appointed  to  assist  Lieutenant 
Yangele  until  a  further  reinforcement  of  men  and 
goods  could  be  conveyed  to  him  from  Leopoldville. 

We  halted  a  few  days  to  assist  with  our  crews  the 
clearing  of  the  bush  from  the  site  of  the  new  station, 
as  well  as  for  the  settlement  of  all  claims,  payments, 
distribution  of  gifts  to  important  persons  ;  and  on  the 
20th  of  June  we  descended  the  Congo  River  on  our 
return  to  Irebu,  where  we  arrived  after  seven  hours 
and  forty-five  minutes'  steaming. 


AN  EMBARRASSING  FAREWELL. 


39 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

FROM  THE  BLACK  HIVER  TO  STANLEY  POOL  AND  BACK 
TO  EQUATOR  STATION. 

An  embarrassing  farewell — Chili  pepper  and  tears — Success  of  a  hypo- 
critical stratagem — Sounds  of  war — Peace-making — Burying  the  war 
— The  Lukanga  river— Mantumba  Lake  — The  Watwa  dwarfs  — 
Rescue  of  a  shipwrecked  crew — The  Abbe  Guyot — The  lion  and  his 
prey— Leopoldville  flourishing — Troubles  at  Bwa-bwa  Njali's — A 
homicidal  officer — Lieutenant  Janssen  and  the  Abbe  Guyot  drowned 
— Troubles  at  Kimpoko — Troubles  at  Bolobo— The  station  burnt— 
We  are  fired  upon — War — A  Krupp  gun  sent  for— Weak  effects  of 
musketry — Peace  restored — Settling  the  indemnity— Displaying  the 
power  of  the  Krupp — "  I  and  my  people  will  depart  from  Bolobo 
for  ever ! " — The  river  of  Bunga— Lukolela— A  magnificent  forest — 
The  superstition  of  Iuka — Excellent  condition  of  Equator  Station — 
My  ideal  achieved. 

The  love  which  the  people  of  Inganda  bore  us  was  so  i883. 
excessive,  that  we  became  conscious  on  leaving  Equator  j™j,eJ. 
Station  that  we  were  in  a  difficulty.  How  could  we 
tell  them  that  the  dank  forest  bight,  with  its  edging  of 
reeds  and  stagnant  spaces  around  Inganda,  was  hurtful 
to  the  health  of  Europeans,  and  that  we  were  com- 
pelled, on  account  of  sanitary  and  political  considera- 
tions, to  remove  from  their  village  to  Wangata?  This 
would  be  a  delicate  task  ! 

When  Msenne — our  guide  from  Mswata — was  in- 


40 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    formed  that,  although  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for 

Juue  21.  x  _ 

Luanda,  us  to  move,  still,  we  experienced  a  dislike  to  wound 
the  susceptibilities  of  the  Inganda  people,  he,  after  a 
thoughtful  pause,  said  that  we  had  better  leave  the 
matter  in  his  hands,  and  we  should  have  no  further 
trouble.  As  he  was  so  confident,  and  as  cheery  as  a 
lawyer  who  has  a  good  case,  and  as  he  knew  the 
natives  better  than  we  did,  we  agreed  to  leave  it  to 
him  entirely.  He  communicated  his  ideas  to  my  ser- 
vant Dualla  and  to  Umari,  and  it  was  through  them  I 
learned  later  how  he  had  accomplished  it- 
Having  obtained  permission  to  carry  out  his  design 
without  interference  on  my  part,  unless  there  were 
visible  signs  of  failure,  he  proceeded  to  put  in  practice 
what  he  designed.  He  first  rolled  his  long  cloth  tight 
around  his  waist  as  though  it  were  a  cord,  and  then 
with  a  Chili  pepper  touched  his  eye?,  and,  having 
started  the  copious  tears  to  roll  down  his  face,  he 
assumed  such  a  woe-begone,  down-drooping  aspect, 
that  I  was  afraid  Dualla  had  replied  offensively  to  him. 

No  sooner  had  we  arrived  at  the  landing-place  of 
Inganda,  than  he  stepped  on  shore,  deaf  to  every 
hail,  regardless  of  everybody,  and  leaving  the  boat,  he 
proceeded  slowly  to  an  open  place  on  shore,  where  he 
stood  solitarily  conspicuous,  while  the  poor  deluded 
natives  gathered  around  him,  urging  him  mildly,  with 
hushed  voices,  to  respond  to  the  greetings. 

"  Well,  Msenne,  have  you  come  ?  "  44  What  news  ?  " 
64  What  ill  has  befallen  you?" 

These  were  often  repeated   to  the  absent-minded 


HYPOCRISY. 


41 


Msenne',  who  was  so  immersed  in  his  sorrow,  that  he  i883. 
was  heedless  of  them,  until,  at  last,  in  a  broken  voice 
interrupted  by  sobs  and  bursts  of  assumed  anger,  lie 
condescended  to  unfold  the  pitiful  tale  of  woe. 

The  story  as  a  story  was  capitally  related  ;  as  a 
comedy  it  was  surpassingly  well  done,  and  proved  that 
in  this  far  away  part  of  Africa  there  must  have  been 
many  a  Shakespeare  and  Milton,  who  have  mutely  and 
ingloriously  died  unwept,  unhonoured  and  unsung  by 
the  ignorant  civilised  world,  and  whose  humble  mounds 
lie  nameless  under  the  tropic  shade. 

"Two  days  from  here,  up  that  black  river — the  — 
what  do  ye  call  it? — there  were  many  villages  on  the 
Bakuti  side,  and  a  market  was  held.  The  wild  people 
invited  us  in.  We  ranged  the  boat  alongside  the  bank. 
Mangombo' s  boy,  and  one  of  Bula  Matari's  men  and  I 
sprang  on  shore,  and  then — ah,  I  never  saw  such  a 
thing  before! — Irebu's  boy  was  caught,  the  Zanzibari 
was  speared  instantly,  and  I  escaped  by  leaping 
through  the  treacherous  crowd  into  the  river.  The  boat 
had  already  shoved  off  at  the  first  alarm,  and  now,  tell 
«  me,  friends,  what  must  I  do?  What  answer  shall  I 
return  to  Mangombo,  of  Irebu,  when  he  asks  me  for  his 
boy?  You  men  of  Stanley,  why  stand  ye  here  ?  Let 
us  go.  Pack  up,  and  let  us  go  on  to  the  fight,  and 
fight  until  there  is  not  one  of  the  wretches  left  alive. 
Have  you  people  no  hearts  to  feel  for  your  dead 
friends?  How  shall  we  return  to  Irebu?  What,  oh, 
what  will  Mangombo  say  to  me?  Pack  up,  I  tell 
you  !  "  and  here  Msenne  actually  sobbed  aloud. 


42 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.        Dualla  and  Umari,  who  were  in  the  secret,  cried  out 

June  21.  , 

inganda.  soothingly  "  Peace,  Msenne'.  Cease  grieving ;  can  we 
fight  without  food?  Let  us  buy  food  to-day,  and  to- 
morrow we  shall  go  to  the  war." 

The  natives  also  joined  in  consolations,  and  offered 
to  muster  all  Inganda  and  Ikengo  for  the  war,  and  in 
a  little  time  Msenne  hushed  his  sobs,  and  finally 
condescended  to  smile. 

It  was  not  until  we  had  settled  ourselves  at  "Wangata 
that  the  story  was  told  of  how  Msenne  had  deceived 
Inganda  in  such  an  accomplished  manner,  by  our  two 
young  men  who  had  thoroughly  relished  the  per- 
formance. 

As  the  boats  were  being  secured  to  the  trees  on  the 
margin  of  the  cove  of  Upper  Irebu,  the  sounds  of 
a  musketry  volley  came  sliarply  to  our  ears.  We 
inquired  what  this  firing  meant. 

<s  Ob,  we  got  tired  of  waiting  for  you  so  we  began 
the  war  again  an  hour  ago." 

After  consultation  with  Mangombo,  I  sent  Dualla 
with  two  boats  to  Mpika's  landing  place,  and  having 
obtained  permission  from  both  the  contending  factions 
to  stop  the  war,  I  then  commissioned  Dualla  and  four 
of  the  crew  to  proceed  to  the  battle  field,  bearing  the 
blue  flag  with  the  golden  star,  the  standard  of  the 
Association,  high  above  their  heads,  that  it  might  be 
seen  by  the  respective  ambushed  warriors.  Guided  by 
Mpika's  advice,  they  boldly  penetrated  through  the 
hostile  ranks,  and  shouted  out  to  them  that  the  peace 
palaver  was  now  being  held  by  Bula  Matari,  and  in 


WAR. 


43 


some  stubborn  cases  tbey  bad  actually  seized  the  o'uns  i«83. 

/  .  June  22- 

and  struck  tbem  up  wbile  tbey  were  levelling  tbem  to  iDganda. 

fire  on  tbeir  enemy.    We  were  not  long  waiting  before 

we  saw  the  warriors  of  Mangombo  returning  to  tbeir 

various  buts  in  tbe  town,  presenting  tbemselves  to  our 

inspection  as  tbey  passed  by  us  grossly  garnisbed  witb 

skins  and  featbers,  and  so  bideously  painted  tbat  it  was 

impossible  to  conceive  a  more  tborougb  effort  for  tbe 

buman  form's  disfigurement. 

Tbe  next  day,  baving  beard  from  eacb  cbief  bis 
statement  of  tbe  cause  of  tbe  war,  I  spoke  to  Mpika 
and  Magwala,  asking  wbat  benefits  tbey  expected  from 
tbis  strife.  "  Xone,"  tbey  promptly  replied.  "  Iboko 
killed  my  people,"  said  Mpika,  "  and  I  caught  eight  of 
them  by  a  fair  chase  after  tbem  ;  let  Mangombo  do  tbe 
same,  for  be  will  never  get  any  of  mine."  "  And  I," 
said  Magwala,  "  will  see  that  he  does  not." 

To  Mangombo,  I  asked  wbat  be  expected  to  gain  by 
continuing  the  fight? 

"  Both  of  your  parties  are  strong  and  numerous,  and 
if  you  go  on  in  this  manner,  mutually  destroying  one 
another,  Irebu  will  become  the  prey  of  the  Bakuti,  or 
tbe  Balui,  or  the  Wabangi.  Your  friends  are  also 
friends  of  your  opponents.  Your  losses  to-day,  in- 
cluding those  who  fell  at  Iboko,  are  thirty-seven  killed, 
and  many  wounded.  You  have  lost  nine  stout  men  in 
order  to  get  four  slaves.  You  are  not  wise,  Mangombo. 
This  kind  of  trading  will  ruin  you.  Let  the  council  be 
called,  and  obey  tbe  word,  otherwise  you  must  go  on 
fighting  it  out  by  yourselves." 


44 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  Accordingly,  at  two  p.m.,  the  principal  elders  of 
j Uganda.  Upper  Irebu  were  gathered  together  in  council  in  one 
corner  of  an  open  place.  I  and  my  three  interpreters 
near  me  occupied  another  corner.  At  another  corner 
Mangombo  bat  alone  with  his  long  staff  ending  with 
a  brazen  spade. 

"  The  Malafu  fee  must  be  paid  first,"  said  one  of 
the  elders.  I  had  almost  forgotten  the  judge's  fee, 
and  I  hinted  to  Msenne'  and  Umari  that  my  fee  must 
be  large. 

Fifty  brass-rods  were  distributed  among  the  elders. 
One  hundred  and  twenty  were  gravely  handed  to  me 
as  my  share. 

Mangombo  recited  the  story  of  the  war,  recounting 
his  losses,  and  drawing  pathetic  pictures  of  the  losses 
incurred  by  Upper  Irebu.  The  elders  then  suggested 
their  ideas  as  to  what  should  be  done  to  stay  the 
hostilities,  and  that  it  was  a  great  pity  that  the  dis- 
putants should  go  on  killing  one  another. 

I  followed  last,  and  decided  that  the  war  must  stop. 
Said  I :  "  Magwala  and  Mpika  have  both  agreed  that 
they  will  leave  the  case  in  my  hands ;  you  Mangombo 
must  do  the  same.  The  war  lies  in  the  obstinacy  of 
Mangombo  alone.  Mpika  lost  five  men,  but  he  kept 
his  eyes  open,  and  revenged  himself  on  the  Iboko  by 
taking  eight  captives.  Mangombo  sought  to  redress  his 
losses  by  making  war  upon  Mpika.  If  he  wanted  to 
pay  the  Bangala  for  the  blood  they  had  shed,  why  did 
he  not  go  to  Iboko,  and  keep  his  eyes  open  there,  instead 
of  hurting  his  friend  ?    The  Nzambi  (God")  is  angry, 


PEACE-MAKING. 


45 


and  he  Las  lost  nine  more  of  bis  men.    Say,  it  is  1883. 
enough.    Mpika  and  Magwala  offer  their  hands  in  ingandR> 
friendship  to  Mangombo.    Give  the  pledge  of  peace, 
and  bury  the  war.    Bula  Matari  has  spoken  !  " 

The  council  of  elders  applauded,  and  Mangombo 
yielded  to  the  general  cry  of  peace,  and  gave  the  pledge 
demanded.  My  interpreters  were  instantly  sent  away 
to  central  Irebu  to  bring  the  pledges  of  peace  from  the 
Capulets  of  that  quarter.  These  pledges  were  two  pieces 
of  unbleached  domestic,  one  gourd  of  palm-wine,  one 
keg  of  damp  gunpowder,  and  one  broken  musket  from 
each  faction.  Then  four  elders  from  Upper  Irebu  who 
were  neutrals,  and  four  neutrals  from  central  Irebu  took 
charge  of  the  peace  pledges,  and  in  the  centre  of  the 
plain  behind  Irebu,  which  was  the  usual  battle-field,  a 
hole  was  dug  in  the  ground,  and  the  articles  were 
interred.  Salvoes  of  musketry  from  each  rank  of  the 
combatants  were  fired  over  the  grave  of  the  war,  and 
Irebu  was  saved  from  the  horrors  of  internal  strife,  for 
many  long  years,  I  hope. 

The  next  day  we  spent  in  mutual  visits  through 
Irebu. 

This  large  town,  or  congeries  of  villages,  built  so 
close  together,  that  to  a  stranger  there  would  appear 
to  be  no  distinctive  limits  between  them,  occupies  the 
left  bank  of  the  Congo,  and  the  left  bank  of  the 
Lukanga,  running  along  the  bank  for  a  distance  of 
five  miles,  and  having  a  depth  inland  of  two 
miles.  The  population  I  estimated  at  15,000  souls. 
Irebu  has  also  its  suburbs,  and  if  the  villages  inland 


46 


THE  CONGO. 


1883  and  along  the  Lnkanga  may  be  reckoned,  being 
offshoots  of  Irebu,  the  figures  of  the  population  may 
reasonably  be  doubled. 

On  the  23rd,  we  steamed  up  the  Lukanga  River, 
which  we  took  to  be  .a  river,  though  in  reality  it  was 
the  tail  end,  or  the  sluggish  effluence  of  a  lake.  It 
appeared  more  like  a  broad  and  winding  canal.  The 
shore,  for  a  considerable  distance,  was  a  reedy  fen,  re- 
lieved in  places  by  a  clump  of  mimosa,  or  by  a  grander 
height  of  scrub,  and  finally  by  an  isleted  grove.  A 
few  miles  up,  a  humpy  rise  of  reddish  clay  showed  a 
village  with  bananas  and  palms,  and  gardens  of  cassava 
outside.  Fishermen  were  numerous  ;  canoes  being  seen 
returning  from  or  going  to  the  fish-catching.  From 
300  yards  the  Lukanga  opened  out  to  a  mile  in 
breadth,  which  gradually  widened  further  into  a  little 
lake.  We  were  then  shown  a  course  varying  from 
one  to  two  miles  wide,  which  we  followed  ;  the  shores 
looming  up  picturesquely  in  wooded  banks  which 
might  almost  be  called  hills.  The  villages  were  be- 
coming more  numerous.  Presently,  when  half-way 
through  this  arm  of  the  lake,  we  turned  into  a  narrow 
channel  by  the  village  of  Maboko,  which  was  still 
more  narrowed  by  rows  of  stakes,  sedge,  water-lilies, 
lotus,  papyrus  and  other  reeds.  Three-quarters  of  an 
hour  later — after  winding  in  and  out  a  crooked  watery 
path— Lake  Mantumba  burst  into  view.  We  steamed 
along  the  northern  shore — the  southern  being  distant 
about  five  miles — until  at  4  p.m.,  when  on  the  south, 
the  shore  disappeared.    At  sunset,  we  had  reached  the 


MANTUMBA  LAKE. 


47 


eastern  shore,  and  camped  on  an  island  near  Ugangi ;  1883. 

.  1  »  June  23. 

whither  some  natives  visited  us,  and  told  us  of  the  Mantumba 
Watwa  being  many  days  inland,  from  whence  they  Llke' 
obtained  their  ivory  and  camwood.  Ten  days'  steam- 
ing into  beautiful  little  bays  and  creeks,  past  Ibingi 
and  Ikoko,  brought  us  to  near  Ikulu  at  5  p.m.,  along 
the  eastern  shore,  and  round  by  the  flat  southern 
shore,  to  a  portion  of  the  western  shore.  By  noon  of 
the  25th  we  had  steamed  144  English  miles  in  the 
circumnavigation  of  the  lake. 

Mantumba  Lake,  like  Lake  Leopold  II.,  is  a  shallow 
depression  in  the  lowland  of  this  portion  of  the  Congo 
basin.  The  greatest  depth  ascertained  is  thirty-two 
feet.  Like  the  latter,  it  seems  to  have  been  caused  by 
a  sudden  subsidence  of  the  ironstone  substructure, 
which,  at  many  places,  shows  the  ragged  sharp  edges 
of  fracture  as  clearly  as  though  newly  made.  In  other 
parts  again  the  land  rises  into  low  hills,  not  high 
enough  to  attract  particular  notice,  but  clothed  with 
fine  forests  of  redwood,  for  which  this  country  is  noted. 
Where  the  ironstone  crust  still  shows  its  ragged  front- 
age to  the  view,  deep  cavernous  recesses  are  seen 
underneath.  Over  these  the  stone  projects  like  a  shelf 
of  rock,  proving  its  tenacious  composition,  as  it  fre- 
quently supports  trees  of  considerable  girth  and  height. 
On  the  western  shores,  in  some  of  its  many  baylets,  the 
pebbly  beach  strewn  with  round  ironstone,  and  quartz, 
and  reddish,  porous,  stone  pebbles,  shows  traces  of 
much  higher  water,  and  effects  of  stormy  waves. 
Everywhere  the  shore  is  lined  by  these  pebbles.  Some 


48 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  I  ground  into  powder,  and  put  into  a  glass  of  water, 
nntumba  and  after  stirring  up  I  found  the  water  to  be  much 
Lake*  darker.  This  rust  and  dark  red  ironstone  may  account 
for  a  little  of  the  inkiness  of  the  lake,  though  I 
cannot  conceive  it  to  be  altogether  the  cause.  Scarcely 
any  clay  or  sand  was  visible  on  the  shore,  though 
I  minutely  examined  every  indentation  in  it.  The 
ground  above  this  rocky  substratum  is  a  reddish 
soil,  very  rich  and  favourable  to  tropical  abundance. 
When  the  shore  is  not  cultivated  the  forest  is  dense, 
but  all  of  an  uniform  height.  The  southern  shore  is 
very  low  and  sedgy.  As  the  lake  rises  about  fifteen 
feet,  or,  at  least,  the  shores  show  traces  to  this  height, 
and,  as  the  distance  between  Lakes  Mantumba  and 
Leopold  II.  is  about  twenty -two  geographical  miles,  it 
may  be  that  at  the  height  of  the  rainy  season  these 
two  lakes  are  connected. 

At  Ikenge  the  natives  manufactured  a  superior  kind 
of  pottery.  Camwood  powder  is  also  extensively 
made  by  grinding  in  mortar,  red- wood  chips,  or  rasping 
small  sticks  of  it  on  rough  slabs.  Ivory  is  purchased 
from  the  Watwa  dwarfs,  who  are  described  as  a  copper- 
coloured  people. 

On  the  29th  of  June  we  halted  at  the  camping-place 
at  Lukolela.  Iuka  and  Mungawa  were  induced  to 
visit  us — to  make  blood  brotherhood,  and  finally  to 
frame  a  verbal  treaty,  agreeing  to  cede  to  us  sovereignty 
over  their  country.  They  also  sold  us  a  fine  piece 
of  land,  whereon  we  proposed  to  build  a  station,  in 
surety  whereof  we  left  two  of  our  most  faithful  men 


A  SHIPWRECK. 


49 


ill  their  hands,  and  then  continued  on  our  voyage  isss. 

June  29. 

down  the  Congo.  Lukoieia. 

We  were  encamped  on  the  grassy  terrace  mentioned 
in  our  journey  up  river,  a  few  miles  below  Lukoieia, 
on  the  evening  of  this  day,  when  a  large  canoe  ap- 
peared laden  with  forty-four  men  and  a  miscellaneous 
cargo.  They  reported  the  wreck  of  a  large  canoe 
laden  with  thirty-eight  men,  and  a  valuable  cargo. 
Over  a  dozen  of  the  crew  of  the  lost  canoe  were  on 
board  ;  the  rest  were  still  on  an  island  wandering. 
Two  persons  had  been  drowned,  and  all  the  property 
had  been  lost.  The  shipwrecked  party  hailed  from 
Usindi,  and  the  crew  of  the  canoe  that  rendered 
assistance  belonged  to  Ngombe'.  They  found  us  in  a 
fit  mood  and  condition  to  be  helpful.  We  were  home- 
ward bound  to  Stanley  Pool,  we  had  just  left  Lukoieia, 
and  had  abundance  of  provisions,  which  we  shared 
with  them. 

At  early  dawn  we  were  under  weigh  with  three  of 
the  shipwrecked  crew  on  board  to  guide  us  to  the 
scene  of  the  disaster.  At  8.30  a.m.  we  hauled  alongside 
with  our  three  steamers,  whaleboat,  and  canoe.  They 
pointed  the  locality  and  the  cause  of  the  accident, 
which  was  some  thirty  yards  from  shore.  It  was  a  stiff 
snag,  slightly  covered  by  water,  that  ran  strongly 
around  it,  and  was  thirty  feet  in  depth.  The  locality 
was  devoid  of  anything  to  which  we  could  cling;  and 
in  attempting  to  secure  a  steamer  near  the  place  we  lost 
our  anchor  and  chain.  I  recognised  the  chief  of  the 
party  as  Miyongo  of  Usindi,  whom  we  had  seen  at 
Vol.  IL— 4 


50 


THE  CONGO. 


1883     Bolobo  during  our  palavers  relating  to  the  murder  of 

June  30.  . 

Lukoieia.  tw°  °f  our  garrison  by  G-atula.  We  requested  to 
know  what  assistance  he  wished.  After  consultation 
with  his  fellows,  he  decided  to  return  to  Bolobo  with  his 
wife  and  six  companions.  We  supplied  the  others  with 
food  and  native  arms,  which  we  had  purchased  from 
the  Bakuti,  and  they  resolved  to  make  their  way  to 
Lukoieia  by  land.  We  transported  them  to  the  main- 
land, and  then  proceeded  on  our  journey  to  Bolobo, 
which  we  reached  at  nine  o'clock  at  night. 

The  next  day  we  rendered  Miyongo  and  his  wife 
speechless  with  gratitude  by  a  present  of  forty  days' 
rations,  when,  according  to  native  custom,  they  had 
become  our  property.  Departing  from  Bolobo  soon 
afterwards,  we  arrived  at  Mswata  station  after  thirteen 
hours'  steaming. 

During  my  absence  to  the  equator,  Lieutenant 
Janssen  had  received  a  visitor,  in  the  person  of  the 
Abbe'  Guyot,  a  Boman  Catholic  missionary  serving 
under  the  orders  of  the  Algerian  Cardinal.  The  Abbe 
had  come  up  the  Congo  highly  recommended  to  the 
officers  of  the  Association,  with  the  view  of  establish- 
ing a  mission.  Leopoldville  being  already  blessed 
with  the  Protestant  missions,  the  Abbe  thought  it 
convenient  to  seek  a  virgin  field.  Upon  suggesting 
the  Kwa,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  confluence,  he 
expressed  himself  pleased  with  the  locality,  upon 
which  I  requested  Lieutenant  Janssen  to  proceed  up 
to  the  Kwa,  and  establish  himself  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  confluence,  and  to   assist   the  Abbe  G-uyot 


KIMPOKO  STATION. 


51 


in  the  founding  of  his  mission  on  the  right  bank  1883.  . 
of  the  affluent  opposite.  Mswata. 

On  the  3rd  of  July,  with  the  wind  blowing  strongly 
against  us,  we  left  Mswata  for  Le'opoldville.  Just 
above  the  Wampoko  river,  on  the  right  bank,  we  saw 
a  lion  crouched,  on  the  sand,  watching  with  curious 
gaze  the  descending  flotilla.  We  tried  a  shot  at  it  and 
missed  it ;  and,  led  by  curiosity,  we  landed  at  the  place 
to  discover  that  a  fierce  struggle  had  occurred  shortly 
before,  leaving  traces  of  some  heavy  body  having  been 
dragged  over  the  beach.  The  evidences  were  as  legible 
as  a  highway,  and  pointed  us  to  a  dead  buffalo  still 
warm  fifty  paces  from  the  river's  edge,  where  it  had 
been  struck  helpless  while  drinking.  Good  fresh  beef 
was  too  rare  on  the  Upper  Congo  to  be  rejected,  and  all 
hands  that  day  banqueted  on  the  steaks  and  roast  hump 
furnished  by  the  forest  king. 

Kimpoko  station,  reached  the  next  day  at  10  a.m., 
was  superintended  by  Mons.  Amelot.  The  place 
evidently  was  about  to  be  known  as  one  of  our  unlucky 
stations.  This  was  the  fourth  chief  who  had  been 
placed  in  command,  and  yet  the  chief's  residence  had 
not  been  completed,  and,  by  the  very  slow  progress 
which  had  been  made,  probably  the  columns  would 
need  renewing  before  it  would  be  fit  for  living  in. 

After  fifty-seven  days'  absence  we  again  saw  Le'opold- 
ville, with  substantial  proofs  everywhere  visible  of 
the  competency  of  Lieutenant  Valcke  as  chief.  A 
large  house,  having  nine  commodious  rooms  for  the 
lodging  of  Europeans,  had  been  put  up ;  a  small  station 


52  THE  CONGO. 

1883.  ha(l  ^een  established  at  Kinshassa ;  some  500  new 
Leopold'  banana  p'an^s  were  thriving  in  our  garden;  and  the 
viiie.  community  and  its  belongings  were  altogether  in  a 
"blooming"  condition.  Thus  a  proper  man  proved 
that  he  could  perform  more  service  in  two  months  than 
his  predecessor  had  performed  within  eleven  months. 
Ngalyema  and  his  brother  chiefs  were  also  on  excellent 
terms  with  the  staff  of  Europeans ;  the  store-rooms 
of  the  station  were  filled  with  provision  cases,  cloth  * 
bales,  bead  boxes,  and  there  were  nearly  four  tons  of 
brass  rods — the  native  currency. 

On  the  13th  of  July  the  steamers  and  boats  were 
again  despatched  to  Bolobo  with  150  loads  of  goods 
and  thirty-two  men,  in  charge  of  Captain  Anderson, 
in  whom  I  could  place  implicit  reliance.  Meantime 
troubles  at  Yivi  and  Manyanga  required  my  atten- 
tion, and  I  had  to  despatch  an  agent  to  that  place 
with  authority  to  rectify  the  mischiefs  which  ever 
recurred  at  that  unfortunate  station,  owing  to  the 
utter  impossibility  of  enforcing  obedience  to  orders 
by  letter. 

"  Captain  "  had,  after  six  months'  patient  endea- 
vour to  reach  his  post,  finally  arrived  to  take  command. 
At  least  this  was  to  be  hoped,  but  later  letters  informed 
us  that  he  declined  the  command,  owing  to  a  species  of 
triangular  disagreement  and  misunderstanding  existing 
at  Vivi,  in  connection  with  which  each  of  the  three 
persons  involved  showered  letters  in  most  forcible 
language  upon  me.  In  this  predicament  it  was 
necessary  to  commission  a  deputy,  with  copies  of  the 


BWA-BWA  NJALI'S  INVITATION. 


53 


various  orders  that  had  emanated  from  me  during  the  1883. 
last  six  months ;  and  I  consider  that  the  immense  Leopold- 
bother  on  this  occasion  drew  from  me  a  final  order,  Vllle' 
which  was  an  absolute  model  of  its  kind,  from  the  great 
number  of  propositional  u  ifs  "  it  contained,  providing, 
I  flattered  myself,  against  all  mortal  possibilities  of 
misunderstanding,  misapprehension,  and  failure.  Not 


VIEW  FKOM  THE  HEAD  OF  BAMTJ  ISLAND  DOWN  THE  SOUTH  BKANCH  AT 

STANLEY  POOL. 

having  a  single  soul  else  within  reach  that  I  could 
trust,  I  was  obliged  to  deprive  Leopoldville  of  its  chief, 
so  that  Lieutenant  Valcke  was  the  chosen  deputy, 
while  Dr.  Yau  den  Heuvel  was  appointed  chief  of 
Leopoldville  pro  tern. 

Invited  by  Bwa-bwa  Njali,  of  the  Gordon-Bennett 
River,  to  establish  a  station  there,  I  proposed  to  a 


54 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  young  continental  officer  to  undertake  the  duty.  He 
uopoid-  readily  acquiesced,  expressing  himself  indeed  as  ex- 

ulle*  tremely  desirous  to  have  his  fidelity  and  capacity  tested 
previous  to  promotion,  and  the  public  recognition  of 
his  zeal  and  intelligence.  He  and  his  band  of  fourteen 
picked  men  were  transported  across  the  river,  and  duly 
introduced  to  the  chief,  who  consented  to  receive  him 
as  his  brother.  The  young  officer  received  his  final 
instructions  with  a  strong  injunction  to  be  prudent, 
good  tempered,  and  forbearing,  and  always  charitable 
in  his  dealings  with  the  aborigines  as  well  as  with 
his  own  people. 

Eight  days  passed  away,  and  then  from  across  the 
river  came  a  rumour  of  trouble.  A  boat  was  hastily 
manned  and  sent  to  inquire  for  news,  which,  in  a  few 
hours,  returned  with  the  young  officer,  pale  and  excited, 
with  his  face  scratched  and  his  clothes  in  disorder,  and 
two  of  his  own  garrison  with  him.  The  coxswain  of 
the  boat  reported  that  he  had  gone  across  the  river, 
and  had  found  the  military  officer  bound  hand  and 
foot. 

Two  of  his  own  men  guarded  him,  and  they  told 
the  coxswain  a  curious  tale.  He  had,  however,  on  his 
own  responsibility  set  the  officer  at  Libert}^  and  had 
brought  him,  along  with  his  men,  to  Leopold ville  to 
answer  for  themselves. 

The  officer  related  how  he  had  detected  a  plot  to 
murder  him  and  take  the  property,  upon  which  he  had 
attempted  to  shoot  the  supposed  ringleader  in  the  con- 
spiracy, but  had  only  succeeded  in  wounding  him, 


A  TERRIBLE  DISASTER. 


55 


whereupon  his  own  men  sprang  upon  him,  disarmed  1883. 
and  bound  him,  and  were  about  conveying  him  to  Leopoid- 
Le'opoldville  when  the  boat  fortunately  arrived  to  take 
them  across.    He  admitted  he  had  been  set  free  from 
his  bonds  by  the  coxswain. 

The  two  men  who  had  been  found  guarding  him,  in 
their  direct  and  circumstantial  story,  proved  that  their 
officer  had  suddenly  developed  an  homicidal  mania. 
He  had  attempted  to  shoot  poor  Bwa-bwa  Njali,  and 
had  actually  shot  his  chief  sergeant  in  the  head,  which 
provoked  his  own  garrison  to  disarm  and  bind  him. 
During  the  night  following  he  had  burst  his  bonds  and 
fled  into  the  woods,  where  he  had  been  discovered  next 
morning.  Being  recaptured,  and  rebound,  he  was 
conveyed  to  the  river  side,  whither  soon  after  the 
boat  arrived,  and  its  crew,  taking  charge  of  the  prisoner 
and  his  guard,  brought  them  to  Le'opoldville. 

My  servant  Dualla  was  sent  over  to  Bwa-bwa  Njalfs, 
to  transport  the  party  back  again  to  Le'opoldville. 
On  the  return  of  Dualla,  corroborating  the  truth  of 
the  charge  against  the  officer,  the  unfortunate  gentle- 
man was  taken  under  escort  to  Tivi  with  an  order  of 
dismissal  from  the  service. 

On  the  22nd  of  July,  a  courier  canoe  arrived  from 
Mswata  station  with  the  dreadful  intelligence  that 
Lieutenant  Janssen  and  the  Abbe'  Griivot,  with  eleven 
of  their  people,  while  descending  the  Congo  from  the 
new  Kwamouth  station  1o  Mswata,  during  a  gale  of 
wind,  were  drowned. 

On  the  31st  of  July  an  expedition  was  sent  to 


56 


THE  CONGO. 


L883.    occupy  Kwamouth  station.    It  consisted  of  Lieutenant 

July  31. 

Leopold-  Pagels,  a  Swedish  officer,  and  a  small  garrison  for  that 

ville.  -i 

place. 

Two  days  later  a  courier  canoe  arrived  from  Kim- 
poko  station,  with  letters  from  Mons.  Amelot,  imploring 
instant  relief.  He  had  had  a  misunderstanding  with 
the  natives,  and  some  shooting  had  happened,  wherein 
two  or  three  of  the  natives  had  fallen. 

Naturally,  I  hurried  to  Kimpoko,  and  found  that 
G-ambiele  and  all  the  natives  had  fled,  and  my  presenti- 
ment concerning  unfortunate  Kimpoko  was  verified. 
Unable  to  induce  the  natives  to  return,  I  ordered  the 
half-built  station  to  be  destroyed,  and  conveyed  the 
garrison  down  to  Le'opoldville. 

The  prospects  were  most  disheartening ;  eternal  and 
ever-brewing  troubles  at  Yivi ;  two  stations  destroyed 
within  a  few  days  of  each  other ;  two  Europeans  and 
eleven  coloured  men  belonging  to  another  station 
drowned  !    But  the  end  had  not  yet  arrived. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  a  courier  canoe  arrived  from 
Bolobo  with  a  note  saying  that  unfortunate  Bolobo — 
never  to  be  built  Bolobo — was  burnt  to  the  ground 
with  all  the  goods  belonging  to  it,  as  well  as  the  150 
loads  recently  stored  there  for  the  Upper  Congo  stations 
Ban  gala  and  Stanley  Falls. 

Fortunately  the  flotilla,  which  had  been  beached  for 
repairs,  was  now  in  perfect  order  for  a  long  voyage, 
and  I  was  only  waiting  for  an  overland  caravan,  of  the 
near  approach  of  which  we  had  notice,  to  have  started. 
The  danger  to  these  houseless  people  at  Bolobo,  how- 


BOLOBO  IN  ARMS.  57 

ever,  spurred  us  to  immediate  movement,  and  on  the  1883. 
22nd  of  August  we  accordingly  departed  from  Leopold-  bolobo 
ville,  with  ten  tons  of  miscellaneous  goods,  and  a  crew 
and  passenger  list  numbering  fifty  men.  After  fifty- 
seven  hours'  steaming  we  arrived  in  view  of  Bolobo  on 
the  29th  August.  The  En  Avant  being  a  few  miles 
ahead  of  the  Royal  and  A.I.  A. 

As  the  En  Avant  steamed  by  the  shore  I  observed 
the  usual  crowds  of  spectators  darkening  it.  Mungolo, 
Ibaka's  favourite  village,  poured  out  its  bronze-bodied 
people  great  and  small.  Next  Biangala,  perched  on  the 
slope  of  the  hill  which  separated  the  Lower  from  the 
Upper  Bolobo.  Next  in  order  appeared  the  villages 
of  Ururu,  Mongo,  Manga,  Yambula,  and  Lingenji,  and, 
finally,  without  a  single  incident,  we  arrived  at  the 
landing-place  of  the  ruined  station,  the  blackened  site 
of  which  we  saw  looked  desolate  enough. 

I  told  the  engineer  to  keep  steam  at  three  atmo- 
spheres until  the  other  steamers  had  actually  arrived, 
and  I  was  listening  to  the  reports  of  the  burning  of 
the  station,  when  a  messenger  came  from  Ibaka,  the 
senior  chief,  saying  that  Itimba  and  Biangala  had  fired 
on  the  two  steamers.  The  news  was  so  astonishing 
that  I  could  scarcely  credit  the  fact  ;  for  in  the  Moyal 
were  three  natives  of  Bolobo,  who  had  borne  to  me  the 
news  of  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the  station,  and  had 
been  brought  back  by  us.  I  had  also  passed  by  the 
shore,  and  the  people  had  waved  their  hands  and  greeted 
us  at  several  places,,  while  the  chief  of  the  station  had 
reported  that  he  was  on  terms  of  friendly  intimacy  with 


58 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    every  one  at  Bolobo.    No  whisper  of  ill-feeling  had 

ugust  29. 

Boiobo.  been  heard  from  any  one.  To  emphasise  this  apparent 
friendship,  Manga's  chief  had  exchanged  presents  with 
the  station  superintendent  that  morning.  Upiti,  the 
chief  of  Itamba,  was  cracked  up  to  be  "  a  dear  friend — 
in  fact,  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  world." 

Full  of  wonder  at  this  sudden  outbreak,  we  made 
steam  again,  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  discover 
the  truth.  Five  hundred  yards  below  the  station 
landing-place  we  were  passing  by  Manga's  village,  and 
I  had  barely  time  to  distinguish  my  protege,  Miyongo, 
of  Usindi,  by  the  broad-beaded  and  glittering  haft  of  his 
falchion,  when  a  stream  of  fire  was  seen  issuing  from  the 
bushes  near  him,  and  the  slugs  came  peltering  briskly 
across,  some  ringing  smartly  on  the  steel  hull  of  the 
steamer.  Presently  another  shot  rang  out  loudly  a  few 
yards  below,  the  missile  of  which  swept  over  the  bow, 

It  appeared  to  dawn  on  my  mind  that  all  this  was  a 
pre-concerted  arrangement.  For  a  moment,  I  fear  that 
I  did  not  wholly  exempt  my  own  station  chief  from 
some  participation  in  the  outbreak.  He  might  have 
tampered  with  these  savages  from  some  sinister  design 
of  his  own,  because  he  had  called  them  his  dear  friends, 
and,  if  dear  friends  of  his,  why  not  dear  friends  of  ours  ? 
Absurd  as  the  thought  undoubtedly  was,  we  had  no 
time  to  discuss  it,  for  the  En  Avant  was  in  a  dangerous 
proximity  to  these  ambushed  people,  and  the  muskets 
roared  at  us  from  a  long  line  of  sharpshooters  hidden 
only  about  fifty  yards  from  us.  We  had  only  six  men 
aboard,  and  our  rifles  had  never  been  used.  Arms  were 


FIGHTING  ON  THE  RIVER. 


59 


taken  on  board  always  as  a  precaution;  but  during  the  1883. 

in  i  •  August  2 

lour  years  we  had  run  on  the  Congo  not  a  single  native  i30]0bo. 
had  fired  at  us.  However,  we  soon  drew  them  out  and 
began  to  return  the  fire  vigorously  into  the  bushes, 
while  we  charged  down  river  to  the  rescue  of  the 
steamers.  In  twenty  minutes  we  met  the  A.I.  A.>  and 
soon  after  the  Royal,  the  crews  of  which  related  the 
narrow  escapes  they  had  experienced.  One  man  only 
had  been  wounded  in  the  face  by  a  shot  from  some 
excited  bungler  amongst  the  crew. 

The  steamers  were  brought  up  to  the  station,  and 
the  goods  then  discharged  into  a  small  hut  that  had 
been  hastily  constructed  and  placed  under  guard. 

The  Royal  was  then  dispatched  to  Leopoldville  to 
bring  up  an  artillery  officer  with  a  Krupp  cannon,  and 
some  fifty  charges  of  ammunition,  with  which  I  hoped 
by  a  little  fright  to  make  the  intractable  people  of 
Bolobo  less  disposed  to  include  us  in  their  future  dis- 
plays of  spleen. 

The  reader  will  have  perceived  by  this  that  Bolobo 
had  become  noted  in  our  books  as  an  unlucky  station.  It 
had  been  established  nearly  a  year  at  this  time,  yet  it 
was  in  a  more  backward  condition  than  any  other. 
Two  members  of  its  garrison  had  been  foully  mur- 
dered ;  a  fire  then  utterly  consumed  the  station  and 
village  with  £1500  worth  of  property;  and  now  we 
had  what  the  natives  called  u  a  war."  All  the  towns  of 
Bolobo  were  arrayed  against  us,  except  Mungolo  and 
Lingenji,  the  villages  of  Ibaka. 

After  waiting  forr  days,  during  which  no  one  seemed 


60 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  disposed  to  come  to  terras,  or  to  offer  to  effect  a  recon- 
Boiobo.  ciliation,  the  En  Avant  and  whale-boat  descended  the 
river  to  reconnoitre,  and  to  endeavour  to  parley  with 
some  of  our  friends  in  the  villages,  but  a  most  mur- 
derous fusilade  greeted  us  as  we  came  near  Manga's 
and  Yambula's  villages.  This  roused  our  ire  again, 
and  we  replied  at  random  into  the  bush,  as  no  person 
could  be  seen. 

On  the  3rd  of  September  a  few  of  our  party  occu- 
pied an  island  running  parallel  with  the  hostile  villages, 
from  which  our  sharpshooters  replied  briskly  at  every 
locality  whence  the  shots  issued. 

In  the  evening,  Miyongo  appeared  and  related  the 
effects  of  the  firing.  A  woman,  the  mother  of  the 
young  rogue  who  had  first  fired  at  us  from  Manga's, 
had  lost  her  front  teeth  by  a  bullet.  A  man  had  his 
love-knot  of  hair  scraped  clean  away.  Seventeen  pots 
full  of  native  beer  had  been  smashed  ;  some  houses  per- 
forated, and  three  or  four  bananas  cut  down.  At 
Itimba  the  firing  from  the  En  Avant  had  been  more 
effective,  two  men  were  killed  and  three  wounded, 
besides  one  goat  and  one  chicken  killed.  The  Wy- 
yanzi  are  too  fond  of  trade  not  to  include  everything 
in  their  tale  of  losses.  The  smashing  of  a  few  more 
pots  of  beer,  by  which  their  courage  is  inspired,  would 
produce  a  depression  whence  peaceful  results  might 
be  expected. 

The  following  day,  Ibaka  introduced  a  peace  deputa- 
tion from  Itimba,  which  brought  with  it  a  few  dozens  of 
brass  rods,  a  goat,  and  some  fowls.    Surely  a  war  was 


NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  PEACE. 


61 


not  worth  much  at  Bolobo  when  they  estimated  the  1883. 
indemnity  at  such  a  trifle.    However,  we  accepted  it,  Bolobo. 
and  old   Upiti   and  his  brother   ambassadors  were 
delighted,  and  promised  to  be  very  good  in  future. 

In  the  afternoon  we  proceeded  again  to  the  island 
opposite  Manga's,  and  kept  up  a  desultory  firing  at  the 
white  cloudlets  emitted  from  the  black  bush,  and  in  the 
evening  Miyongo  bore  to  me  the  bulletin  of  results. 
The  tale  of  losses  included  a  chief  wounded  in  the 
leg"  while  drinking*  beer  in  the  woods  with  his  brother 
chiefs,  one  man  wounded  in  both  thighs,  one  in  the 
arms,  a  gun  smashed  by  a  bullet,  a  canoe  damaged,  and 
a  few  more  bananas  levelled. 

The  wounding  of  a  chief  brought  Manga  to  propose 
terms  of  peace,  but  as  this  was  a  second  offence  I  was 
severe.  They  offered  the  same  money  paid  by  Itimba. 
It  was  rejected  with  scorn,  and  they  were  told  that,  as 
they  considered  it  a  pleasure  to  fight,  and  a  hardship 
to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  firing  at  people,  we  must  try 
our  hands  at  it  again  next  day,  and  every  day  until 
the  big  gun  arrived  from  Stanley  Pool,  when  they  would 
all  be  blown  up  to  the  sky.  This  awful  threat  made 
them  surrender  the  case  to  Ibaka's  hands,  but  with  all 
Ibaka's  real  and  earnest  efforts  it  cost  us  nine  days' 
negotiations  to  induce  them  to  pay  the  fine  of  600 
matako,  value  £15,  as  an  indemnity. 

On  the  13th  the  peace  was  duly  proclaimed  through- 
out Bolobo,  and  the  next  day  the  Krupp,  which  had 
arrived  during  the  last  days  of  the  peace  negotiations, 
had  to  be  fired  into  the  Congo,  which,  opposite  Bolobo, 


62 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  is  4000  yards  wide.  All  the  villages  were  represented 
Boiobo.  on  the  occasion  by  the  chiefs  in  person,  accompanied 
by  a  few  hundreds  of  people,  who  honour  nie  without 
many  weapons. 

To  them  there  was  not  much  likeness  of  a  gun 
about  the  Krupp.  ' 6  If  it  were  a  gun,  where  was  the 
trigger,  stock,  ramrod?  And  what,  in  the  name  of 
goodness,  were  the  wheels  for  ?  " 

"  Tut,"  they  said ;  "  Bula  Matari  is  joking.  It  can- 
not be  a  gun ;  it  bears  no  resemblance  to  a  gun.  It 
looks  like  a  fine  piece  of  wood  with  a  deep  hole  in  its 
belly." 

It  was,  therefore,  decidedly  necessary  to  fire  the 
Krupp.  They  were  turbulent  through  their  unsophis- 
ticated wildness.  They  knew  no  better.  A  brass  rod 
causes  a  war ;  a  drop  too  much  of  beer  ends  in  a  war. 
If  they  have  a  bad  dream,  some  unfortunate  is  accused, 
and  burnt  for  witchcraft,  or  hung  for  being  an  accessory 
to  it.  A  chief  dies  from  illness,  and  from  two  to  fifty 
people  are  butchered  over  his  grave.  When  the  chief 
of  Move' — the  next  village  above  our  station — died, 
forty-five  people  were  slaughtered,  and  only  a  short 
time  before  Ibaka  strangled  a  lovely  young  girl  because 
her  lover  had  sickened  and  died.  Two  slaves  of  Ibaka 
quarrelled  over  their  beer,  and  one  shot  the  other;  the 
brother  of  the  murdered  man  demanded  twelve  slaves, 
two  bales  of  cloth,  and  1500  brass  rods  ;  one  of  the  male 
slaves  was  beheaded,  and  a  female  slave  was  strangled, 
that  their  spirits  might  accompany  the  spirit  of  the 
dead  slave  on  its  dreary  journey  to  the  unknown 


THE  KRUPP  SURPRISES  THE  NATIVES. 


63 


universe.     That  we  had  not  been  more  involved  in  1883. 

Sept.  14 

trouble  with  such  people  as  these  of  Bolobo  has  been  Bolobo. 
solely  due  to  our  anxious  care  and  large  forbearance. 

Notwithstanding  their  professions  of  incredulity  as 
to  its  power,  it  was  observed  that  the  chiefs  took  great 
care  to  keep  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the  Krupp, 
and,  when  finally  the  artillerist,  after  sighting  the  piece 
to  2000  yards,  fired  it,  and  the  cannon  spasmodically 
recoiled,  their  bodies  also  instantaneously  developed  a 
convulsive  movement,  after  which  they  sat  stupidly 
gazing  at  one  another.  A  second  shot  was  fired  to 
3000  yards,  and  the  appearance  of  the  column  of  water 
heaved  by  it,  satisfied  the  most  sceptical  that  the 
implement  was  a  gun  of  immense  power. 

But  the  following  little  episode  will  well  illustrate 
the  character  of  the  Wy-yanzi.  After  the  peaceful 
exhibition  of  the  powers  of  the  Krupp,  I  seized  the 
occasion  to  explain  to  them  how  very  foolish  they  were 
to  fight  their  friends.  No  white  man  had  yet  injured 
any  of  them.  We  had  settled  at  Bolobo  only  at  the 
solicitation  of  Ibaka,  and  all  the  chiefs  had  tasted  of 
the  white  man's  liberality.  I  now  would  pay  for  the 
beer  to  celebrate  a  long  peace,  and  I  according  delivered 
to  each  man  one  piece  of  cloth  and  ten  brass  rods,  which, 
as  there  were  fifteen  chiefs  and  elders,  amounted  to 
more  than  the  fine  exacted  from  Lower  Bolobo  for 
shooting  without  provocation  at  our  steamers. 

They  left  the  goods  on  the  ground,  and  went 
aside  to  consider  or  hold  a  palaver,  and  after  all  had 
arrived  at  an  agreement  they  came  back  to  their  seats, 


64 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    and  Lusnimbila,  the  senior  slave  of  Ibaka,  with  an 

Sept.  14.  & 

Boiobo.   unabashed  face,  dared  to  say  to  me : 

"  Bula  Matari,  we  have  been  considering  together, 
and  we  are  all  of  one  mind  that  you  ought  to  give  each 
of  us  two  pieces  of  cloth  and  twenty  brass  rods  to  cele- 
brate this  peace,  value  £25." 

Without  a  word,  but  feeling  unutterable  things, 
I  ordered  my  servant  Dualla  to  take  the  presents 
back,  and,  waving  my  hand  to  them,  I  said :  "  It  is 
enough.  Ibaka,  this  land  is  yours.  Take  it ;  I  and 
my  people  will  depart  from  Boiobo  for  ever.  I  am 
tired  of  you." 

Up  sprang  the  chiefs  instantly  to  their  feet,  while 
Ibaka  hastily  arrested  Dualla's  movement,  crying  out, 
"  No,  no,  no.  Stop,  Bula  Matari !  Dualla,  stay  !  Nay, 
be  not  angry  with  us  ;  this  is  but  a  custom  of  the 
Wy-yanzi.  If  you  had  given  us  4000  brass  rods  we 
should  have  asked  for  10,000  ;  if  you  had  given  us 
50,000  we  should  have  asked  for  ten  times  the  amount. 
What,  Bula  Matari  leave  us  ?  No,  never  !  Give  us  the 
moneys,  and  we  will  go  to  celebrate  the  peace.  Come, 
Bula  Matari,  drive  away  your  anger,"  and  Ibaka  came 
and  patted  and  rapped  gently  over  my  watch-pocket, 
as  though  my  disgust  and  silent  fury  was  stowed  some- 
where in  that  region.  "  And,"  continued  Ibaka  smiling 
humorously,  "  does  not  Bula  Matari  know  the  Wy-yanzi 
yet  ?  Why,  the  greed  of  the  Wy-yanzi  is  as  insatiable 
as  the  appetite  of  the  hippopotamus.  The  trouble  is 
ended,  Bula  Matari.  Wy-yanzi  love  money  too  well 
to  risk  fighting  any  more.    Two  troubles  have  cost 


SETTLING  THE  INDEMNITY. 


G5 


them  money  ;  they  will  not  care  to  provoke  a  third.  1883. 

*  11  i  i>  Sept.  1* 

So  live  m  peace,  and  let  your  heart  rest.  Bolobo 

Being  a  guileless,  liberal,  and  susceptible  creature, 
I  accepted  Ibaka's  hand,  and  then  all  departed  to  drink 
beer,  with  the  strong  purpose  to  live  hereafter  in  peace 
with  the  white  man  and  his  people.  The  Wy-yanzi 
are  not  a  vindictive  people,  why  should  I  have  been  ? 

On  the  16th  of  September  we  departed  from  Bolobo, 
and  ascended  along  the  right  bank  on  this  journey  to 
Lukolela.  Miyongo,  of  Usindi,  and  his  shipwrecked 
crew,  who  had  been  extremely  serviceable  to  us  in  the 
negotiations  with  the  aborigines  of  Lower  Bolobo, 
accompanied  us. 

Two  hours  later  we  passed  the  Mikene'  river.  A 
guide  told  us  that  it  continued  to  be  navigable  for  a 
about  a  day's  journey  up  by  canoe  to  the  junction  of 
two  rivers,  each  of  which  was  impassable  on  account 
of  rapids. 

Skirting  the  shore  above  the  Mikene,  we  discovered 
that  the  firm  land  was  generally  a  mile  inland  from 
the  tangle  of  calamus  and  bush,  weeds  and  papyrus, 
which  rose  in  impenetrable  masses  in  line  along  the 
river  margin.  The  islets,  principally  low,  were  innu- 
merable, and  produced  but  reedy  plants  and  scrub. 
When  we  had  proceeded  about  a  third  of  the  distance 
from  Lukolela  the  land  improved  in  appearance,  show- 
ing a  tall  forest  and  a  limited  grassy  terrace  or  two, 
in  appearance  very  like  the  left  bank. 

About  60  English  miles  above  the  point  opposite 
Bolobo  we  passed  the  Ikubn,  or  Likuba  stream;  and 
Vol.  IL— 5 


66 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  about  20  miles  higher  we  saw  a  fine  river,  called  by 
Bdobo.  tne  g'uide  the  River  of  Bunga,  about  which  he  was 
very  enthusiastic,  describing  its  banks  as  being  very 
populous,  and  the  tribes  as  possessing  an  abundance  of 
ivory  and  food.  The  people  of  Busaka,  Ikuba,  and 
Bunga,  villages  near  the  Congo,  exploit  this  river  in 
their  search  for  ivory. 

On  the  22nd  of  September  we  arrived  at  Lukolela, 
where  Mr.  Grlave,  a  young  Englishman,  was  installed 
as  chief  of  the  new  station,  with  a  garrison  of  twenty- 
five  men. 

Lukolela  station  was  located  about  2i  miles  above 
the  uppermost  village  of  the  native  community,  in  the 
forest,  a  hundred  yards  from  the  edge  of  the  Congo. 
As  the  tall  trees,  ranging  from  60  to  150  feet  high, 
with  clean,  branchless  stems  for  three-quarters  of  their 
gross  height,  were  only  from  10  to  30  feet  apart,  young 
Mr.  Glave  had  a  difficult  work  before  him.  We!  there- 
fore, placed  the  entire  force  at  his  disposal  for  a  couple 
of  days,  to  cut  down  the  thin  undergrowth  and  to 
clear  some  .50  square  yards,  so  as  to  obtain  room  to 
construct  a  couple  of  native  huts  which  we  purchased 
for  him  as  a  temporary  residence  and  magazine. 

A  little  exploration  I  made  through  this  forest,  which 
is  scarcely  more  difficult  to  penetrate  than  the  Thier- 
garten  of  Berlin,  enabled  me  to  estimate  the  number 
of  useful  trees  in  the  forest  of  Lukolela  at  460,000, 
which,  allowing  only  40  cubic  feet  to  the  tree,  would 
furnish  over  18,000,000  cubic  feet  of  timber.  The 
plane-trees  are  numerous ;  they  would  furnish  easily 


A  MAGNIFICENT  FOREST. 


67 


workable  planks  for  flat-boats,  wooden  steamers,  tables,  188.3. 
doors,  flooring,  rafters,  window  frames,  &c. ;  while  of  L^oku. 
the  splendid  teak  might  be  formed  keels,  stem  and 
stern-posts,  decking,  and  the  mahogany,  red-wood,  and 
guaiacum  for  furniture.  A  steam  saw-mill  might  enable 
us  to  furnish  all  the  timber  needed  for  trading  houses 
for  generations  out  of  this  one  forest.  Though  the 
timber  is  not  scant  in  other  parts  of  the  Congo 
banks,  it  is  the  only  part  from  the  sea  to  Lukolela  that 
a  forest  was  found  wherein  there  were  so  few  useless 
trees. 

This  magnificent  crop  of  largest  forest  trees  led  us  to 
suppose  that  this  ground  was  extremely  rich,  but  while 
planting  the  posts  of  Mr.  Glave's  huts,  even  the  picks 
could  make  but  little  impression  on  the  conglomerate  of 
iron  we  found  it  to  be.  The  trees  had  seemingly 
grown  in  hollow  cavities  in  the  ironstone  filled  with 
alluvium,  and  most  of  them  were  of  vast  girths  and 
buttresses,  .the  base  expanding  to  an  enormous  circle 
with  their  roots.  The  major  number  tapered  upward 
to  an  incredible  height,  with  stems  as  smooth  as  a 
planed  pine  spar.  Whatever  the  station  may  turn  out 
to  be,  it  is  evident  that  months  must  elapse  before  its 
chief  will  be  able  to  boast  of  a  garden.  Our  young 
officer  started  on  his  work,  not  a  whit  daunted  by  the 
magnitude  of  the  task  before  him. 

X\q  departed  from  Lukolela  on  the  25th  of  September. 
Miyongo  and  his  family  were  on  familiar  terms  with  us 
by  this  time,  and  when  the  rain  threatened  to  interrupt 
our  voyage  with  its  usual  black  storm-clouds,  one  of 


68 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    his  men  stood  up  and  dared  to  brave  the  elements,  and 

Sept.  25. 

Lukoieia.  to  compel  them  by  his  powerful  charms  to  go  and  visit 
other  countries.  Upon  which  Miyongo  observed  that 
white  men  seemingly  possessed  all  things  save  one, 
viz.,  a  rain-charm  to  keep  the  rain  away  while 
travelling. 

The  next  day  we  landed  him  and  his  family  at 
Usindi,  but  in  the  faces  of  the  hundreds  who  hurried 
forward  to  satisfy  their  curiosity  I  perceived  no  joy  or 
gratitude  for  the  service  we  had  rendered.  Had  a 
European  Prince  been  saved  from  such  a  distressful 
position  as  the  one  Miyongo  had  been  extricated  from, 
no  doubt  we  should  have  been  dined  and  toasted ; 
but  then  this  was  Usindi,  in  Congoese  Africa. 

During  our  stay  here  we  went  through  the  ceremony 
of  blood-brotherhood  with  Miyongo,  which  provoked 
the  jealousy  of  Iuka,  Iuka  was  also  inclined  to  be 
surly  because  I  had  not  delivered  Miyongo  into  his 
hands,  that  he,  as  the  senior  chief  of  Usindi,  might 
have  had  the  honour  of  presenting  him  in  turn  to 
Miyongo's  villagers.  This  occasioned  a  rhetorical 
artifice  from  me,  which,  by  applying  the  case  of 
Miyongo  to  Iuka  himself,  the  old  'chief  became  con- 
vinced that  he  had  no  reasonable  cause  of  offence. 
"  Is  Miyongo  a  slave  of  Iuka  ?  Do  his  wives  or  his 
slaves  belong  to  Iuka?  Is  not  Miyongo  a  free  man 
and  a  chief?  How  can  Iuka  claim  authority  over 
Miyongo  ?  If  Iuka  was  saved  from  the  Balui  pirates, 
or  from  the  river,  could  Miyongo  be  displeased  that 
Iuka  was  not  delivered  into  his  hands  ?    No  ;  neither 


THE  SUPERSTITIONS  OF  IUKA. 


69 


must  Iuka  be  displeased  that  Miyongo,  being  a  free  1883. 
man,  could  travel  freely  in  his  own  country."  afsindi 

Iuka  was  a  dirty  old  man,  who  was  wickedly  mean 
without  being  aware  of  it.  Two  hours  after  sunset  he 
came  to  me  in  my  cabin  on  the  steamer,  and  gravely 
begged  for  a  looking-glass  with  which  he  might  dis- 
cover all  hostile  designs  against  him.  He  then  asked  for 
a  charm  by  which  he  could  stop  the  rain  from  falling 
on  the  gardens  and  fields  of  the  people  he  disliked  ; 
and  was  anxious  for  a  medicine  with  which  he  could 
positively  secure  the  fidelity  of  his  queen  !  Iuka 
dreaded  Miyongo  evidently  after  the  exhibition  of  his 
jealousy  to  him,  and,  after  finding  that  I  had  no 
charms  to  give  him  to  prevent  the  evil  effects  of  it,  he 
earnestly  implored  me  to  take  himself  and  his  com- 
munity away  to  colonise  some  other  part  on  the  river. 

On  departing  the  next  day  from  Usindi,  Miyongo 
gave  me  a  guide,  who  was  reputed  to  have  advanced 
higher  up  river  than  any  man  in  the  trading  com- 
munity of  Usindi.  He  had  belonged  originally  to 
Upoto,  and  had  since  often  traded  with  Langa-Langa 
and  Iboko. 

We  had  been  delayed  too  long  at  Bolobo  to  halt  at 
Irebu  for  more  than  a  few  hours.  About  ten  miles 
above  Irebu  we  sawr  a  few  canoes  belonging  to  the 
piratical  Balui,  who  inhabit  a  district  on  the  right 
bank,  access  to  which  is  gained  by  means  of  numerous 
narrow  branches  of  a  delta  of  a  river,  bearing  no  other 
name  than  that  of  the  tribe.  Inland,  a  few  miles  from 
the  Congo  the  Balui's  River  is  said  to  be  of  considerable 


70 


THE  CONGO. 


ins...    size  and  importance,  perhaps  between  300  and  400 
irebu.    yards  wide.    The  Balui  are  a  very  daring  people  from 
all  accounts,  and  their  numerous  piratical  exploits  have 
won  for  them  great  notoriety  in  that  section  of  the 
Congo  lying  between  Ngombe  and  Ikengo. 

On  the  29th  of  September  the  steam  flotilla  arrived 
off  Equator  Station,  from  which  we  had  been  absent 
one  hundred  days. 


A  NATIVE  OF  IBOKO. 


No  better  illustration  could  be  desired  to  exhibit  the 
effect  of  industry  inspired  by  good-will  and  zeal  than 
Equator  Station,  as  it  was  seen  by  us  after  this  com- 
paratively short  absence.  We  had  left  it  a  jungle  of 
worthless  scrub ;  we  returned  to  find  an  Equatorial 
hotel  —  commodious,  comfortable,  rain-proof,  bullet- 
proof, burglar-proof,  and  almost  fire-proof.  In  the 
domestic  adornments  and  fittings,  one  might  have 
imagined  a  lady  had  lent  her  skilful  taste  in  the 
arrangement.  The  two  young  army  lieutenants,  after 
building  the  solid  clay-house,  had  turned  their  attention 


EQUATOR  STATION. 


71 


to  making  window-frames,  doors,  tables,  chairs,  and  1883. 
stools,  but,  having  no  paint,  blue  and  crimson  baize,  a 
few  yards  of  gay  print  and  white  sheeting,  had  given  Statlon- 
a  look  of  finish  to  the  door,  windows,  and  furniture  ; 
and,  with  native  matting,  the  hotel  presented  a  very 
complete  and  neat  appearance  without  and  within. 
An  observatory,  or  petite  casino,  stood  perched  above 
an  ant-bill,  devoted  to  meditation,  or  to  fond  contem- 
plation of  their  handiwork  and  industrious  efforts.  It 
was  here  they  drew  up  their  code  of  laws  for  the 
moral  government  of  Equator  Station,  and  the  amelio- 
ration of  the  wild  Bakuti,  and  here  also  they  discussed 
on  Sundays  and  rainy  days  plans  for  the  sanitary  im- 
provement of  their  little  town,  and,  like  a  Board  of 
Public  Works,  sketched  out  what  further  duties  lay 
before  them. 

Imitating  their  young  chiefs,  the  coloured  men  had 
also  developed  singularly  good  faculties.  Each  of  them 
had  built  for  himself  an  impregnable  clay  hut,  in 
the  centre  of  a  garden,  wherein  the  Indian  corn  was 
already  over  six  feet  high  ;  the  sugar-cane  was  tall  and 
thriving  ;  plats  of  sweet  potatoes  carpeted  with  their 
leaves;  while  pumpkins,  brinjalls,  cucumbers,  &c,  &c., 
exhibited  prodigious  vitality. 

Lieutenants  Yangele  and  Coquilhat  also  possessed  a 
garden  of  European  vegetables,  which  supplied  onions, 
raddish,  carrots,  beans,  peas,  parsley,  lettuce,  cress, 
beets,  sweet  potatoes,  cabbage,  &c,  &c,  for  their  soups 
and  salads  daily.  There  were  also  a  large  kitchen, 
servants'  hall,   goat   park,  and   fowl-houses.  Their 


72 


THE  CONGO. 


^iss;^  goats  gave  them  fresh  milk,  and  their  hens  produced 
Equator  a  supply  of  eggs. 

Tims  for  the  first  time  I  saw  the  realisation  of  my 
favourite  ideal  of  a  Congo  station.  Here  was  a  well- 
governed  community  of  soldier-labourers,  impregnable 
and  unassailable  by  its  discipline,  and  the  mutual  de- 
pendence of  one  upon  another ;  the  chiefs  cool-headed, 
zealous,  and  prudent,  but  not  too  militarily  stiff  to 
chill  the  advances  of  the  aborigines.  They  possessed 
sufficient  bonhommie  to  be  appreciated  for  their  cordi- 
ality, yet  just  distant  enough  to  repress  vulgar  fami- 
liarity and  prevent  infraction  of  the  social  distinctions 
that  must  ever  exist  between  educated  intelligence, 
governed  by  Christian  morality,  and  unsophisticated 
barbarism,  too  light-minded  even  to  become  the  slaves 
to  savage  passion,  or  the  partisans  in  factious  strife 
among  the  natives. 

Ikenge,  the  chief,  a  young  bull-necked  savage,  had 
caused  trouble  through  a  determined  misapprehension 
of  the  purpose  of  this  station  in  his  neighbourhood. 
-After  my  departure  he  had  developed  an  over-weening 
ambition,  a  desire  to  be  hurriedly  rich,  by  slaughtering 
every  man  to  whom  he  bore  ill-will  and  seizing  his 
possessions.  He  had  conceived  that  our  friendship 
meant  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive,  which  might 
have  carried  us,  by  his  vaulting  spirit  and  daring 
schemes,  to  unlimited  aggression.  He  had  provoked 
two  wars,  out  of  which  he  had  emerged  weakened  in 
strength,  and  well  hated  by  bis  neighbours  for  his 
growing  insolence.     He  had  grown  rather  dishonest 


MY  IDEAL  STATION. 


73 


Station. 


also,  for  he  had  repudiated  certain  purchases  of  trees  1883. 
and  bananas  that  were  in  the  little  territory  ceded  to  g^atot 
us  by  him. 

However,  through  Heliwa  his  chief  slave,  who  had 
visited  Leopold ville  with  us,  and  had  been  brought 
back  enriched  by  his  voyage,  and  with  his  memory 
weighted  with  things  he  had  seen,  and  on  which  he 
could  moralise,  every  question  was  settled  in  a  few 
days.  Thus  over  the  populations  of  Buriki.  Iyambo, 
Wangata,  Molira,  Mukuli,  Ikengo  and  Inganda  and  the 
garrison  of  Equator  Station,  an  Arcadian  harmony  and 
concord  held  its  sway. 

On  the  11th  of  October,  I  indited  the  following  in 
my  diary  : — 

"  Equator  Station  is  certainly  a  happy  one,  not  so 
situated  with  regard  to  view  as  it  might  be ;  but  with 
that  sole  exception,  many  other  requisites  necessary  for 
well-being  are  in  perfection.  We  have  abundance  of 
food,  obtained  very  cheaply,  and  the  prices  are  now  so 
established  to  every  one's  content,  that  there  is  nothing 
left  to  complain  of.  We  have  apparently  friendly  and 
devoted  neighbours.  Brinjalls,  bananas,  plantains,  sweet 
cassava,  potatoes,  yams,  Indian-corn,  eggs,  poultry,  goats, 
sheep,  the  native  productions  assisted  by  vegetables  of 
Europe,  flourishing  in  the  gardens,  with  tea,  coffee, 
sugar,  butter,  lard,  rice,  and  wheat-flour  from  Europe, 
afford  a  sufficient  variety  for  a  sumptuous  menu.  I 
have  enjoyed  puddings  every  day  here,  and  among 
other  accomplishments  of  Lieutenants  Vangele  and 
Coquilhat,  not  the  least  useful  is  that  of  knowing 


74 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    Low  to  cook,  and   how  food   should   be  prepared. 

►ctoberll.  , 

Equator  We  have  sufficient  acreage  near  the  station  to  be 
a  lon*  able,  if  necessary,  to  feed  everybody  abundantly.  The 
climate  is  healthy  also,  though  they  have  such  moist 
weathers  here,  and  the  ground  is  so  astonishingly  rich 
that  one  would  have  thought  that  fever  would  be 
prevalent,  yet  our  officers  have  been  already  four 
months  at  Wangata  without  experiencing  one  hour's 
indisposition." 


FOUNDING  STATIONS. 


75 


CHAPTER  XXYII1. 

TO  THE  ARUWIMI  OR  BIYERRE. 

Equipping  xor  a  long  voyage — The  Lulungu  river — Bolombo — Bangala 
the  terrible— Stirring  memories— Boleko  the  chief—"  Stop  thief! " — 
Mata  Bwyki— A  modern  Hercules—"  Is  this  Tandelay  ?  " — Uncom- 
fortable moments— The  appeal  of  Yumbila— "  Bula  Matari  and  Mata 
Bwyki  are  one  to-day !  "—Luxuriant  tropical  scenes— Immense  forest 
wealth — Unsheltered  in  a  storm— Deserted  districts — Nganza — Old 
Rubunga— Langa-Langa  women — The  currency  changing — Ndobo 
— Oyster-shells  a  sign  of  former  population— Bumba  and  the  chief 
Myombi — The  dreaded  Ibanza— A  trick  with  a  tiger's  skin— Yam- 
binga — Itimbiri  river— Yalulima  armourers — Hostile  natives — War 
canoes  on  the  look  out— The  Aruwimi— Mokulu— An  effective  salu- 
tation— "  Bravo,  Yumbila  !  " 

Our  work  of  founding  stations,  many  of  which,  if  the  i883. 
future  were  favourable  to  our  designs,  would  grow  into  °e°^0*2' 
cities,  had  carried  us  well  towards  the  heart  of  Africa,  Stat,0D- 
for  Equator  Station  was  757  English  miles  from  the 
sea,  and  412  miles  above  Le'opoldville.    In  response  to 
earnest  wishes  from  Brussels,  I  was  now  about  to  steam 
up  the  Congo  some  600  miles  further,  to  found  a  settle- 
ment at  Stanley  Falls,  and  endeavour  to  make  verbal 
treaties  with  the  more  populous  settlements  on  either 
bank  as  I  voyaged  upward,  leaving  to  a  future  occasion 
the  permanent  establishment  of  stations.  The  Committee 


76 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    had  also  nominated  a  person  for  the  command  at  Stanley 

ictober  12, 

Equator  F&Hs  \  thus  our  poor  young  friend  Lieutenant  Coquil- 
hal;,  after  bravely  working  at  Equator  station  awaiting 
his  opportunity  to  be  located  at  Ban  gala  station,  now 
saw  himself,  to  his  great  disappointment,  obliged  to 
wait  until  I  could  return  from  the  Falls. 

We  had  prepared  for  this  long  voyage  1600  lbs.  of 
corn  and  cassava  flour,  and  had  purchased  500  dried 
fish  from  the  Bakuti.  Our  live  stock  consisted  of  three 
goats,  three  sheep,  and  thirty  fowls,  which  were  of 
course  for  the  five  Europeans  on  board,  as  well  as  a  large 
store  of  plantains,  ripe  bananas,  yams,  sweet  potatoes, 
and  a  dozen  cases  of  Crosse  and  Blackwell's  best  tinned 
provisions.  A  full  case  of  Cognac  was  distributed 
among  four  whites  ;  besides  a  five-gallon  demijohn  of 
red  Portuguese  wine.  In  fact,  limited  as  was  the 
carrying  capacity  of  the  steamers,  the  five  Europeans 
and  sixty-eight  coloured  men  on  board  were  as  well 
victualled  and  equipped  at  Equator  station  as  a 
British  division  of  soldiers  might  be  at  Chatham,  Wool- 
wich, or  Portsmouth. 

On  the  16th  of  October  the  flotilla  started  up  the 
channel  leading  to  Uranga  and  the  Lulungu  Eiver. 
We  steamed  ten  hours.  It  was  fine  when  we  departed 
from  the  Equator  ;  but  at  two  o'clock  the  sky  became 
overcast,  and  thunder  rolled,  but  finally  the  atmosphere 
cleared  again  without  rain.  At  noon  we  were  in 
N.  Lat.  0°  9'.  As  w^e  ascended  nearly  due  north,  our 
night's  camp  was  probably  in  N.  Lat.  0°  18'. 

Following  the  Uranga  channel,  we  came  to  the  main 


THE  LULUNGU  RIVER. 


77 


channel,  and  crossed  over  to  the  left  bank.    A  few  1883. 

ip  i       ti    i       i  -i     October  1', 

hours  alter  we  came  to  the  Ikelemba,  a  comparatively  uranga. 
small  river  about  150  yards  wide,  the  colour  of  its 
waters  being  inky.  Clinging  closely  to  the  left  bank, 
we  arrived  opposite  Uranga  at  one  o'clock  on  the  17th. 
This  populous  community  is  pleasantly  located  on  an 
elevated  triangle  of  land  to  the  left  of  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Lulungu  affluent  and  the  Congo,  com- 
manding an  extensive  view  up  and  down  the  Congo 
and  up  the  Lulungu. 

The  latter  river  rather  disappointed  me,  because 
the  natives  had  usually  spoken  of  it  as  being  a 
"  large "  river.  We  ascended  it  for  about  three 
miles  to  obtain  an  idea  of  its  average  breadth.  I 
should  judge  it  to  be  about  550  yards  wide  ;  but  the 
aborigines  informed  us  that  one  could  ascend  it  a 
month's  journey  in  canoes,  and  that  the  populousness 
of  its  banks  is  much  superior  to  any  part  of  the 
Congo.  It  is  larger  even  than  the  Mohindu  they  say. 
Higher  up  than  the  point  we  reached,  the  Lulungu 
may  be  wider  than  the  Mohindu ;  but  I  doubt  it 
being  of  greater  volume.  From  all  I  have  gathered 
and  personally  seen,  it  appears  to  me  that  there  must 
be  a  connection  between  the  Lulungu,  Ikelemba,  and 
Mohindu,  but  of  what  character  it  would  be  difficult 
to  say.  They  are  all  equally  black,  and  their  courses 
are  parallel  and  equi-distant  from  each  other.  The 
country  is  very  flat  though  densely  wooded,  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  there  may  be  channels  inland  con- 
necting the  rivers.    1  would  also  include  Mantumba, 


78 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    and  the  Lukanga.    Indeed,  if  I  understood  rightly,  the 

October  17.         ,  &  .  &  J9 

Uranga.  natives  of  Irebu  spoke  as  though  it  were  possible  to 
travel  from  the  Lukanga  to  the  Mohindu  or  Buruki. 
It  is  rash,  however,  to  place  too  much  reliance  upon 
these  native  statements,  though  it  would  not  at  all 
surprise  me  to  learn  some  day  that  a  few  days'  journey 
inland  on  either  the  Mohindu  or  Lulungu  there  was  a 
labyrinthine  system  of  liquid  channels  through  a  low 
jungly  forest,  connecting  the  three  rivers  Ikelemba, 
Lulungu,  and  Mohindu.  A  short  journey  up  the 
Ikelemba,  we  find  the  stream  nearly  impassable  to 
row-boats  by  the  wide  overhanging  branches  stretching 
from  either  bank.  Canoes,  however,  travel  far  inland, 
if  their  crews  are  known  to  the  aborigines,  who  seem 
to  be  too  free  with  their  arrows.  We  experienced  this 
disposition  of  the  aborigines  on  the  Mohindu  to  make  it 
credible  that  on  the  Ikelemba  they  are  equally  averse 
to  strangers.  The  Congo  tribes  are  civilised  compared 
to  the  natives  dwelling  on  the  banks  of  the  affluents. 

The  natives  of  Uranga  came  out  breathlessly  and 
eagerly  in  their  canoes  with  friendly  hails ;  but  ex- 
cept returning  their  greetings,  and  maintaining  a 
running  fire  of  compliments  and  amenities,  according 
to  the  custom  of  warm  friends,  we  could  do  no  more, 
as  our  journey  would  be  protracted  indefinitely  if  we 
stayed  at  every  populated  district  we  saw. 

Ascending  the  Lulungu  a  few  miles,  we  turned 
up  a  narrow  channel  connected  with  the  Congo.  The 
latter  river  being  bank-full,  the  shore  and  islands 
were  flooded,  though  here  and  there  the  mainland 


THE  TERRIBLE  BANOALA. 


79 


showed  places  where  the  water  had  yet  to  rise  two  i883. 

n  i-i  it-  October  V, 

feet  before  overflowing,  which  no  doubt  it  would  if  uranga. 
the  watermarks  on  the  trees  are  to  be  trusted.  A 
furious  squall  of  wind  and  rain  compelled  us  to  seek 
an  early  camp. 

On  the  19th  we  travelled  all  day  along  a  forested 
mainland,  with  palmy  islets  on  our  left,  until,  camping 
a  few  miles  below  Bolombo,  trading  canoes  bound 
down  river  told  us  that  Iboko  was  anxious  to  see  us, 
the  Bangala  having  already  heard  of  our  coming. 

The  next  day  we  stopped  at  Bolombo  in  N.  lat. 
1°  23' — forty-three  hours'  steaming  above  Equator 
station.  I  made  a  verbal  treaty  and  blood-brotherhood 
with  the  chiefs,  but  there  was  a  famine  in  Bolombo, 
and  the  gifts  were  poor  and  scant.  The  people,  how- 
ever, were  very  amiable,  and  as  amicably  inclined  as 
any  we  had  met. 

On  the  2 1st  of  October,  four  hours  above  Bolombo,  I 
found  myself  at  last  in  view  of  the  Bangala — the  ter- 
rible fighters  who  pressed  so  hard  upon  us  in  1877.  The 
country  of  the  Bangala  is  called  Iboko,  though  I  did 
not  know  it  then.  I  have  been  told  that  they  remem- 
ber the  fight  well,  but  rumour  has  varied  greatly  as  to 
their  intentions.  Some  have  told  us  that  they  have 
vowed  that  if  ever  the  Ibanza  returns,  they  will  dispute 
every  inch  of  the  waterway  with  him.  Mangombo  of 
Irebu  told  me  that  the  lesson  was  so  severe  that  the 
Bangala  had  received,  that  I  need  only  "  shake  a  stick 
at  them."  However  the  negotiations  might  end,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  I  felt  some  anxiety  as  the  flotilla 


80 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    steamed  from  amongst  the  islands  m  view  of  Iboko, 

October  21.  .  ,  .  . 

iboko.  whose  multitudes  pouring  out  over  the  river  to  war 
I  had  no  wish  to  see  again.  At  the  same  time  we 
could  not,  while  professing  claims  to  manhood,  for  ever 
stop  in  dread  of  the  danger. 

They  were  slow  to  make  their  appearance,  those 
terrible  Bangala.  Not  a  drum  nor  horn  was  sounded 
to  raise  the  alarm  of  war.  Under  the  pendent  green 
banana  fronds  on  the  banks  the  aborigines  seemed  to 
be  gathered  in  idle  crowds,  as  though  they  had  no  con- 
cern with  us,  even  as  though  a  flotilla  of  smoke-boats 
was  an  everyday  occurrence  to  the  tribe  of  Iboko. 
We  were  approaching  the  first  projecting  point  up 
the  shore — which  I  remembered  very  well  as  a  place 
whence  the  real  fury  of  the  battle  in  1877  was  met 
by  us — when  three  canoes  dashed  out  with  something 
of  elan  in  their  movement.  I  detached  the  En  Avant 
from  the  flotilla  and  went  out  to  meet  them,  Miyongo's 
guide  taking  position  on  the  cabin  deck. 
"  Who  are  you  ?  "  was  shouted. 

"  Bula  Matari ;  come  to  see  Mata  Bwyki "  (lord  of 
many  guns). 

"  Ah — h — h !  Mata  Bwyki  is  not  at  home ;  he  is 
gone  a-fishing." 

"  Is  Boleko  at  home,  then  ?  I  am  the  slave  of  his 
brother  Miyongo  of  Irebu." 

"  Yes  ;  he  is  in  his  village." 

This  was  all.  They  had  no  more  to  say,  and  we 
passed  on.  They  returned  to  the  shore,  and  in  an 
incredibly  short  time  all  Iboko  seemed  to  know  that 


AN  IMMENSE  SETTLEMENT. 


81 


the  curious  smoke-boats  contained  friends,  and  great  1883. 

October  21. 

and  small  canoes  darted  out  from  the  shore  to  bear  us 


company,  until  the  number  of  them  was  absolutely 
oppressive.  How  many  scores  of  canoes  were  out  upon 
the  water,  ahead,  on  either  side,  and  astern,  we  could 
not  begin  to  estimate.  Almost  anything  answered  the 
purpose  for  a  canoe — from  the  mere  dough  troughs  of 


Tribal'  Setdemervb 


PLAN  OF  THE  BANGALA  SETTLEMENTS. 

bakers  to  the  crocodile-snouted  war-canoe  impelled  by 
forty  stout  muscular  fellows,  who  sent  her  skimming 
gaily  past  the  steamer. 

Some  idea  of  this  immense  settlement  may  be  gained 
when  I  state  that  at  noon  we  were  abreast  of  its  lower 
extremity,  and  at  five  o'clock  we  were  still  two  hours 
Vol.  II.— 6 


I  boko. 


S2 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    from  its  upper  end,  though  we  had  been  steadily 

tober'21. 

iboKo.  steaming.  In  1877,  while  gently  paddling  with  the 
current,  it  had  occupied  us  five  and  a  half  hours.  The 
guide  indicated  to  us  Boleko's  village,  and  also  Mata 
Bwyki's ;  but  we  chose  a  dismal  and  dank  camp  on  an 
islet  opposite  the  former,  the  channel  between  being 
about  500  yards  across.  Yumbila,  the  guide,  departed 
to  see  Boleko  quite  unconcernedly,  leaving  us  to  be 
gazed  at  until  sunset  by  a  thousand  of  the  Bangala. 

I  could  not  help  wondering  in  my  mind  what  they 
thought  of  the  "  Ibanza "  who  had  passed  through 
their  ranks  in  1877,  amid  so  much  flame  and  smoke. 

In  form  they  were  a  fine  people  that  we  regarded — 
broad  of  shoulder,  large-muscled,  grandly  full  in  the 
chest,  slender-waisted,  of  rather  tall  height,  to  whom 
life  on  the  river,  by  the  easy  manner  of  their  carriage 
in  the  generally  cranky  canoes,  must  have  been  an 
every-day  existence.  While  there  were  some  of  them 
of  very  black  complexion,  the  majority  of  them  were 
light  bronze,  and  there  were  several  light  as  Arabs  in 
complexion. 

Yumbila  returned  at  sunset  with  the  chief  Boleko, 
who  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty-five,  of  powerful 
build.  Though  he  was  cordial  in  manner,  and  offered 
to  introduce  me  to  Mata  Bwyki,  who  wrould  no  doubt 
do  all  that  was  in  his  power  to  satisfy  my  wishes,  I 
observed  that  the  young  man  was  furtive-eyed — almost 
what  one  may  call  thievish  in  look.  His  hair  was 
dressed  in  the  usual  Kiyanzi  style,  the  marks  on  the 
face  being  slight  incisions  over  the  upper  part  of  each 


BOLERO  THE  CHIEF. 


83 


cheek,  while  the  centre  of  the  forehead  was  distin-  1883. 

October 

guished  by  three  fleshy  lumps.  This  I  learned  after-  lboko 
wards  to  be  the  special  tribal  marks  of  the  Bangala. 

After  a  night  spent  in  indescribable  discomfort  on 
the  islet,  Boleko  came  to  us  early  in  the  morning  to 
introduce  us  to  his  own  village,  forty  canoes  serving 
as  an  escort  of  honour  to  the  flotilla. 

What  struck  me  on  entering  the  creek,  on  the  banks 
of  which  Boleko's  village  was  situate,  was  that  this 
was  the  same  creek  whence  issued  the  first  hostile 
canoes  that  attacked  me  in  1877,  and  which  I  took  to 


ONE  OF  THE  BANGALA. 

be  an  affluent  of  the  Congo,  whereas  it  is  a  narrow 
channel,  separated  by  a  large  and  fertile  island  from  the 
main  right  branch.  It  affords  a  capital  harbour  for 
canoes  and  boats  in  bad  weather  on  account  of  the 
reeds,  which  arrest  the  movement  of  the  canoes,  pro- 
tecting them  from  being  floated  down  by  the  current. 

At  Boleko's  landing-place  trading  began  in  a  most 
lively  manner,  as  provisions  were  unusually  cheap. 
Six  eggs  were  sold  for  four  cowries ;  ten  rolls  of 
cassava  bread  for  a  brass  rod ;  a  large  fowl  fetched 


84 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    only  one  brass  rod;  a  2:oat  cost  only  ten  or  twelve 

October  21.        J  'to  J 

Pbcko.    I'ods  =  6$.  ;  one  mat,  five  feet  square,  of  palm-leaves, 
was  worth  only  one  rod,  while  a  large  one  made  of  split 
rattan  fetched  only  three ;  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  and ' 
bananas  were  so  cheap  that  a  day's  ration  purchased 
enough  to  last  five  days. 

Word  came  from  Mata  Bwyki  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  He  was  inclined  to  be  jealous  that  a  boy  like 
Boleko  should  dare  to  take  his  guest  to  himself;  but 
Ndinga,  chief  of  Bolombo,  soothed  his  irritation,  and 
an  invitation  was  at  last  given  to  the  flotilla  to  lie 
alongside  of  Mata  Bwyki's  shore  on  the  morrow. 

Warning  at  sunset  was  shouted  to  the  crews  of  the 
steamers  to  keep  strict  watch ;  but  the  night  was 
nevertheless  disturbed  with  a  series  of  cries,  such  as 
"  Stop  thief!  "  "  Ob,  my  cloth  has  gone  !  "  "  Some 
one  has  stolen  my  knife ! "  &c,  &c. ;  and  there  were 
few  messes  by  morning  which  had  not  to  bewail  the 
loss  of  some  valuable  property,  so  expert  and  adroit 
were  the  thieves,  and  so  very  unaccustomed  were  our 
people  to  this  kind  of  wholesale  spoliation. 

On  the  23rd  we  dropped  down  river  about  two 
miles,  and  lay  up  at  Mata  Bwyki's  landing-place. 
Close  by  the  waterside,  on  land,  were  numerous  pits  of 
stagnant  water,  rank  with  the  poison  exhaled  from  the 
black  pits,  where  the  bitter  cassava  lay  decomposing. 
An  equal  number  of  cesspools  could  not  have  tainted 
the  air  with  more  abominable  odours.  In  the  river 
were  several  circular  fences,  where  the  cassava  was  left 
to  soak  and  decompose,  but  which  were  sweetened  by 


A  MODERN  HERCULES. 


85 


the  constantly-flowing  water.    Like  all  other  riverine  188:5. 

J  °  ,  October  23. 

tribes,  the  Bangala  keep  their  canoes  constantly  sub-  ibok0i 
merged,  to  ensure  the  longer  preservation  of  them. 
Under  the  keels  of  onr  steamers  we  could  see  faint 
outlines  of  several. 

The  senior  chief,  Mata  Bwyki  (lord  of  many  guns), 
was  an  old  grey -haired  man,  of  Herculean  stature  and 
breadth  of  shoulder,  with  a  large  square  face  and  an 
altogether  massive  head,  out  of  which  his  solitary  eye 
seemed  to  glare  with  penetrative  power.  I  should 
judge  him  to  be  6  feet  2  inches  in  height.  He  had  a 
strong  sonorous  voice,  wThich,  when  lifted  to  speak  to 
his  tribe,  was  heard  clearly  several  hundred  yards  off. 
He  was  now  probably  between  seventy-five  and  eighty 
years  old.  His  skin  hung  about  his  bones  in  many 
wrinkles,  but  with  his  nine  foot-long  staff,  that  was  but 
a  shade  less  heavy  than  a  dingy 's  mast,  he  walked  with 
an  upright  carriage,  but  when  leaning  on  that  mighty 
staff  he  straightened  his  stalwart  body  and  pitched 
that  stentorian  voice  of  his  over  the  heads  of  the 
hundreds  of  Bangala,  one  might  see  that  the  grand  old 
man  had  still  a  fund  of  vigour  in  him.  He  was  not 
the  tallest  man,  nor  the  best  looking,  nor  the  sweetest- 
dispositioned  man  I  had  met  in  all  Africa  ;  but  if  the 
completeness  and  perfection  of  the  human  figure,  com- 
bining size  with  strength,  and  proportion  of  body,  limbs, 
and  head,  with  an  expression  of  power  in  the  face,  be 
considered,  he  must  have  been  at  one  time  the  grandest 
type  of  physical  manhood  to  be  found  in  equatorial 
Africa.    As  he  stood  before  us  on  this  day,  wre  thought 


86 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    of  him  as  an  ancient  Milo,  an  aged  Hercules,  an  old 

"tober  23 

Ibok0i  '  Samson — a  really  grand-looking  old  man.  At  his  side 
were  seven  tall  sons,  by  different  mothers,  and  although 
they  were  stalwart  men  and  boys,  the  whitened  crown 
of  Mata  Bwyki's  head  rose  by  a  couple  of  inches  above 
the  highest  head.  Kokoro,  his  eldest  son,  was  begin- 
ning to  show  grey  hairs,  and  he  had  three  sons,  tall 
youths,  over  twenty  years  old,  besides  a  few  chubby- 
faced  young  rogues. 

Considering  the  depth  and  length  of  the  curved  line 
of  humanity  that  stood  on  the  shore  expecting  us,  I 
should  estimate  the  number  of  people  present  at  about 
1700,  old  and  young. 

A  place  for  welcoming  with  due  ceremony  was  pre- 
pared in  a  street  in  the  village,  just  fifty  yards  from 
the  steamers.  Mats  of  split  rattan  were  spread  in  a 
large  semicircle  around  a  row  of  curved  and  box 
stools,  for  the  principal  chiefs.  In  the  centre  of  the 
line,  opposite  this,  was  left  a  space  for  myself  and 
people. 

We  were  invited  on  shore  to  the  assembly  place. 
The  concourse  was  so  dense  that  the  atmosphere  was 
stifling.  We  had  first  to  undergo  the  process  of  steady 
and  silent  examination  from  nearly  two  thousand  pairs 
of  eyes.  Then,  after  Yumbila,  the  guide,  had  detailed 
in  his  own  manner  who  we  were,  and  what  was  our 
mission  up  the  great  river  ;  how  we  bad  built  towns 
at  many  places,  and  made  blood  brotherhood  with  the 
chiefs  of  great  districts,  such  as  Irebu,  Ukuti,  Usindi, 
Ngombe,  Lukolela,  Bolobo,  Mswata,  and  Kintamo,  he 


"IS  THIS  TANDELA  Y  ?  " 


87 


ur^ed  upon  them  the  pleasure  it  would  be  to  me  to  1883. 

&  r  .  .  October  23. 

make  a  like  compact,  sealed  with  blood,  with  the  great  iboko. 
chiefs  of  populous  Iboko.  He  pictured  the  benefits 
likely  to  accrue  to  Iboko,  and  Mata  Bwyki  in  par- 
ticular, if  a  bond  of  brotherhood  was  made  between 
two  chiefs  like  Mata  Bwyki  and  Tandelay,  or,  as  he 
was  known,  Bula  Ma  tar  i. 

Then  a  hoarse  murmur  was  heard  through  the  crowd, 
and  Mata  Bwyki's  deep  voice  was  heard  asking  : 

"  Is  this  Tandelay  ?  " 

"Yes." 

For  a  moment  I  regretted  that  I  had  placed  myself, 
with  such  unbounded  self-confidence,  so  completely  in 
their  power,  as  I  heard  my  name  mentioned,  and  noted 
the  effect  of  it  upon  the  overwhelmingly  large  multi- 
tude. I  was,  however,  quickly  relieved  when  I  remem- 
bered that  Africans  cannot  act  in  unison  with  one 
another  unless  they  are  led  by  some  leader.  I  was 
only  waiting  to  hear  that  leader's  angry,  stormy,  de- 
nunciative tones  to  spring  out  to  the  boat  and  begin  a 
combat,  for  which  my  cabin  contained  arms  in  perfect 
order.  My  followers  all  knew  that  we  were  among 
the  warlike  Bangala,  and  I  was  well  aware  that  every 
European  in  the  flotilla  needed  only  to  hear  the  alarm- 
bell  of  the  En  Avant  to  drop  his  listless  manner  and 
affected  blandness,  and  assume  a  fighting  mien  with 
the  dangerous  breechloader  in  his  hands. 

The  leader,  however,  was  mute,  and  I  found  myself 
feeling  decidedly  unpleasant  under  this  concentrated 
gaze,  ignorant  as  I  was  of  the  language  of  Iboko. 


88 


THE  CONGO. 


L883.    Could  I  but  have  spokeu  tlieir  dialect !    I  have  often 

October  23, 

]boko  thought  since  what  an  opportunity  for  a  moral  lesson 
was  lost  by  this.  It  was  perhaps  fortunate  that  I  did 
not. 

Yumbila  continued  in  better  form  than  I  could  pos- 
sibly have  done.  His  desire  to  please  soothed  and 
moderated  whatever  passions  might  have  lain  near  the' 
surface  of  this  comparative  silence.  He  described  how 
I  had  saved  Irebu  from  mutual  destruction,  how  the 
flag  was  borne  through  the  ranks  of  the  combatants, 
and  how  its  bearer  passed  on  unscathed  and  unhurt. 
He  described  my  victorious  action  with  regard  to  Mi- 
yongo,  how  I  had  saved  him  from  the  island,  fed  and 
clothed  him,  and  restored  him  to  his  home  with  a 
store  of  wealth.  The  war  at  Bolobo  I  heard  touched 
upon  also ;  his  gestures,  descriptive  of  the  cannon 
thundering  and  shooting  its  huge  ball  across  the  wide 
river,  were  remarkably  effective,  and  when  he  dilated 
upon  the  rich  things  which  were  hidden  in  the  house 
on  the  big  steamer,  on  the  stores  of  murderous 
weapons,  with  their  quick  man  and  beast  slaying 
properties,  and  the  "  bub-bub "  of  their  sound,  my 
safety,  if  danger  had  existed,  which  I  strongly  suspect 
it  did,  was  secured,  and  from  Tandelay — the  dreaded 
Ibanza  who  had  inflicted  defeat  on  them  in  1877 — 
emerged  the  form  of  the  genial,  world-loving,  peace- 
making, fraternal  Bula  Matari !  Oh,  what  a  comedy 
it  all  was,  could  it  but  be  written  fairly,  and  with 
reasonable  truth ! 

A  forked  palm  branch  was  brought.    Kokoro,  the 


MAT  A  BWYKfS  DECISION. 


89 


heir,  came  forward,  seized  it,  and  kneeled  before  me,  as  n  }**\ 

'  7  7  7        October : 

drawing  out  his  short  falchion,  he  cried,  "  Hold  the  ibok-o. 
other  branch,  Bula  Matari ! "  I  obeyed  him,  and  lift- 
ing his  hand  he  cleaved  the  branch  in  two.    "  Thus," 
he  said,  "I  declare  my  wish  to  be  your  brother." 

Then  a  fetish-man  came  forward  with  his  lancets, 
long  pod,  pinch  of  salt,  and  fresh  green  banana  leaf. 
He  held  the  staff  of  Kokoro's  sword-bladed  spear  while 
one  of  my  rifles  was  brought  from  the  steamer.  The 
shaft  of  the  spear  and  the  stock  of  the  rifle  were  then 
scraped  on  the  leaf,  a  pinch  of  salt  was  dropped  on 
the  wood,  and  finally  a  little  dust  from  the  long  pod 
was  scraped  on  the  curious  mixture.  Then  our  arms 
were  crossed — the  white  arm  over  the  brown  arm— and 
an  incision  was  made  in  each  ;  and  over  the  blood  was 
dropped  a  few  grains  of  the  dusty  compound,  and  the 
white  arm  was  rubbed  over  the  brown  arm. 

Now  Mata  Bwyki  lifted  his  mighty  form,  and  with 
his  long  giant's  stafT  drove  back  the  compressed  crowd, 
clearing  a  wide  circle,  and  then  roaring  out  in  his 
most  magnificent  style,  leonine  in  its  lung-force,  kingly 
in  its  effect — ■ 

"  People  of  Iboko  !  You  by  the  river  side,  and  you 
of  inland.  Men  of  the  Bangala,  listen  to  the  words  of 
Mata  Bwyki.  You  see  Tandelay  before  you.  His  other 
name  is  Bula  Matari.  He  is  the  man  with  the  many 
canoes,  and  has  brought  back  strange  smoke-boats.  He 
has  come  to  see  Mata  Bwyki.  He  has  asked  Mata 
Bwyki  to  be  his  friend.  Mata  Bwyki  has  taken  him  by 
the  hand  and  has  become  his  blood-brother.  Tandelay 


90 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    belongs  to  Iboko  now.    He  has  become  this  day  one  of 
]lH>ko  '  the  Bangala.    Oh  !  Iboko,  listen  to  the  voice  of  Mata 
Bwyki."    (I  thought  they  must  have  been  incurably 
deaf  not  to  have  heard  that  voice.) 

"  Bula  Matari  and  Mata  Bwyki  are  one  to-day.  We 
have  joined  hands.  Hurt  not  Bula  Matari's  people ; 
steal  not  from  them,  offend  them  not.  Bring  your  pro- 
duce and  barter  with  him.  Bring  food  and  sell  to  him 
at  a  fair  price,  gently,  kindly,  and  in  peace,  for  he  is 
my  brother.  Hear  you,  ye  people  of  Iboko  ! — you  by 
the  river  side,  and  you  of  the  interior  ?  " 

We  hear,  Mata  Bwyki  !  "  shouted  the  multitude. 
The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  obtaining  a  promise 
that  I  should  build  a  station  among  the  Bangala.  An 
entire  village  of  huts  and  palms  and  banana-groves 
was  to  be  sold  to  me,  but  I  deferred  the  purchase  until 
I  could  bring  up  Lieutenant  Coquilhat  and  his  men. 
Meantime  I  explained  to  them  that  on  this  occasion 
I  had  merely  come  to  reconnoitre,  and  after  examining 
Langa-Langa,  I  should  return  and  call  on  them  as 
I  descended  towards  the  equator.  We  exchanged 
liberal  presents  with  Mata  Bwyki,  and  our  com- 
panions imitated  our  example.  The  ceremony  of 
blood-brotherhood  was  performed  several  times  over, 
with  the  sons  and  nephews  of  the  patriarchal  old 
chief. 

On  the  25th  we  continued  our  journey  up  river,  and 
struck  over  to  the  left  bank  by  the  first  channel  we 
discovered.  It  was  no  easy  task,  however,  to  do  this, 
as  the  islets  were  so  long  and  so  numerous,  that  we  did 


LUXURIANT  TROPICAL  SCENES. 


91 


not  finally  reach  the  left  bank  until  we  had  steamed  t883. 

.  October  25. 

for  thirteen  hours.  Iboko> 

For  purely  tropical  scenes,  I  commend  the  verdu- 
rously  rich  isles  in  mid-Congo,  between  Iboko  on  the 
right  bank,  and  Mutembo  on  the  left  bank,  with  the 
intricate  and  recurrent  river  channels  meandering 
between.  There  the  rich  verdure  reflects  the  brightness 
of  the  intense  sunshine  in  glistening  velvet  sheen  from 
frond  and  leaf.  The  underwood  presents  varied  colours, 
with  their  tufted  tops  or  the  climbing  serpentine  form 
of  the  llianes,  and  their  viny  leaves.  Each  and  all  have 
their  own  separate  and  particular  beauties  of  colour- 
ing that  renders  description  impossible.  At  all  times 
I  believe  the  same  refreshing  gladness  and  vigour 
of  tropical  nature  may  be  observed  about  this  lati- 
tude. Some  of  the  smallest  islets  seemed  to  be 
all  aflame  with  crimson  colouring,  while  the  purple 
of  the  ipomasa,  and  the  gold  and  white  of  the  jasmine 
and  mimosa  flowered,  bloomed  and  diffused  a  sweet 
fragrance.  Untainted  by  the  marring  hand  of  man,  or 
by  his  rude  and  sacrilegious  presence,  these  isles, 
blooming  thus  in  their  beautiful  native  innocence  and 
grace,  approached  in  aspect  as  near  Eden's  loveliness 
as  anything  I  shall  ever  see  on  this  side  of  Paradise. 
They  are  blessed  with  a  celestial  bounty  of  florid  and 
leafy  beauty,  a  fulness  of  vegetable  life  that  cannot 
possibly  be  matched  elsewhere  save  where  soil  with 
warm  and  abundant  moisture  and  gracious  sunshine 
are  equally  to  be  found  in  the  same  perfection.  Not 
mere  things  of  beauty  alone  were  these  isles.  The 


92 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    palms  were  perpetual  fountains  of  a  sweet  juice,  which 

ftober  25. 

iboko.  when  effervescing  affords  delight  and  pleasure  to  man. 
The  golden  nuts  of  other  trees  furnishes  rich  yellow 
fat,  good  enough  for  the  kitchen  of  an  epicure,  when 
fresh.  On  the  coast  these  are  esteemed  as  an  article  of 
commerce.  The  luxuriant  and  endless  lengths  of 
calamus  are  useful  for  flooring  and  verandah  mats,  for 
sun-screens  on  river  voyages,  for  temporary  shelters 
on  some  open  river  terrace  frequented  by  fishermen, 
for  fish-nets  and  traps,  for  field  baskets,  market  hampers, 
and  a  host  of  other  useful  articles,  but  more  especially 
for  the  construction  of  neat  and  strong  houses,  and 
fancy  lattice-work.  Such  are  the  strong  cord-like 
creepers  which  hang  in  festoons  and  wind  circuitously 
upward  along  the  trunk  of  that  sturdy  tree.  The 
pale  white  blossom  which  we  see  is  the  caoutchouc 
plant,  of  great  value  to  commerce,  and  which  some  of 
these  days  will  be  industriously  hunted  by  the 
natives  of  Iboko  and  Bolombo.  For  the  enterprising 
trader,  there  is  a  ficus,  with  fleshy  green  leaves ;  its 
bark  is  good  for  native  cloth,  and  its  soft,  spongy 
fibre  will  be  of  some  use  in  the  future  for  the  manu- 
facture of  paper.  Look  at  the  various  palms  crowding 
upon  one  another.  Their  fibres,  prepared  by  the 
dexterous  natives  of  Ban  gala,  will  make  the  stoutest 
hawsers,  the  strength  of  which  neither  hemp,  Manilla 
fibre,  nor  jute  can  match  ;  it  is  as  superior  to  ordinary 
cord  threads  as  silk  is  to  cotton.  See  that  soft  pale- 
green  moss  draping  those  tree-tops  like  a  veil.  That 
is  the  Orchilla  weed  from  which  a  valuable  dye  is 


IMMENSE  FOREST  WEALTH. 


93 


extracted.    I  need  not  speak  of  the  woods,  for  the  tall  isg 

i  iii«i  October ! 

dark  forests  that  meet  the  eve  on  bank  ana  isle  seem  to  Ibok(1 
have  no  end.  We  burn  specimens  of  their  timber  every 
day ;  and  engineers  may  be  frequently  seen  admiring 
its  colour  and  veining,  and  inhaling  the  fragrance  of 
the  gum.  We  are  banqueting  on  such  sights  and 
odours  that  few  would  believe  could  exist.  We  are 
like  children  ignorantly  playing  with  diamonds.  Such 
is  the  wealth  of  colours  revealed  every  new  moment 
to  us  already  jaded  with  the  gorgeousness  of  the  tropic 
world.  Rarities  and  treasures  of  vegetable  life  are 
passed  by  us  continuously ;  we  can  do  nothing  with 
them,  our  mission  at  this  time  being  to  hunt  up  the 
human  denizens,  to  experiment  on  human  nature. 

Whatever  interest  we  may  profess,  after  all,  in  this 
many-hued  splendour  of  the  tropic  bush,  in  the  varie- 
gated beauty  and  overflowing  vegetable  life  on  these 
river  isles,  or  the  bountiful  wealth  of  the  Congo  forests, 
it  is  but  secondary  to  that  which  one  must  feel  for  the 
human  communities,  the  muscles  of  whose  members 
have  a  more  immediate  and  practical  value  to  us.  For 
without  these  the  flowers,  the  plants,  the  gums,  the 
moss,  and  the  dye  weeds  of  the  tropical  world  must 
ever  remain  worthless  to  them  and  to  ourselves.  In 
every  cordial-faced  aborigine  whom  I  meet  I  see  a 
promise  of  assistance  to  me  in  the  redemption  of  himself 
from  the  state  of  unproductiveness  in  which  he  at 
present  lives.  I  look  upon  him  with  much  of  the  same 
regard  that  an  agriculturist  views  his  strong-limbed 
child ;  he  is  a  future  recruit  to  the  ranks  of  soldier- 


94 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    labourers.    The  Conc;o  basin,  could  I  have  but  enough 

October  25.  .  *~  . 

Mutembo.  °*  nis  class,  would  become  a  vast  productive  garden. 
That  is  one  reason  why  I  always  search  sharply  for 
cordiality  of  demeanour,  a  certain  frankness  of  expres- 
sion, from  which  I  can  extract  hope  for  the  future.  I 
mentally  review  the  faces  thus  seen,  and  say  to  myself, 
"  You  are  shy  and  strange  now,  my  friend,  but  worse 
looking  fellows  than  you  have  been  made  useful  to 
themselves  and  the  world.  A  few  more  trips,  and  you 
would  go  anywhere  with  me."  I  fancy  sometimes  the 
fellows  seem  to  read  my  thoughts,  and  smile  encourag- 
ingly upon  me,  as  though  they  would  say  in  vulgar 
idiom,  "  You  are  right,  my  boy,  but  bye  and  bye." 

Near  Mutembo  a  trading  canoe  was  met  descending 
the  river.  We  forgot  all  about  the  isles  of  Eden,  where 
we  had  been  feasting  royally  on  the  perfume  of  flowers 
and  blossoms,  to  talk  with  its  crew.  They  belonged 
to  Iboko.  Rumour  had  reached  them,  with  its  tale  of 
my  brotherhood  with  old  Mata  Bwyki.  We  traded 
with  them  in  eatables,  and  gossiped,  like  friends,  of 
auld  lang  syne,  amid  lively  chaff  and  laughter.  They 
had  eleven  large  tusks  of  ivory,  but  that  was  an  article 
we  did  not  want,  much  to  their  surprise. 

Before  arriving  at  Mutembo,  however,  wTe  came  to 
the  end  of  the  long  island  that  winds  parallel  with  the 
left  bank,  and  prevented  us  from  viewing  Ukumbi  and 
its  chief  Ibombo.  From  all  accounts,  this  settlement 
must  be  exceedingly  enterprising,  but  inferior  to  Iboko 
in  wealth,  strength,  and  numbers. 

It  had  been  a  beautiful  day,  bright  as  a  Mediterra- 


A  STORM. 


95 


neau  summer  day,  but  about  camping  time  the  low  1883. 

October  25. 

westering  sun  became  quickly  obscured,  and  the  clouds  Mutembo. 
seemed  advancing  from  the  north-west,  north,  and 
north-east  with  startling  rapidity  towards  the  zenith. 
Looking  behind  at  the  south,  we  saw  rank  after 
rank  of  voluminous  cloud  rising  as  though  to  meet 
them.  We  had  often  seen  similar  features  in  the  sky 
towards  sunset,  but  on  this  day  there  was  an  ominous 
depth  of  blackness  to  attract  our  attention.  Still,  we 
could  find  no  place  for  shelter,  the  impervious  bush 
sloped  from  under  the  overhanging  boughs  of  the 
forest  monarchs  down  to  the  river  surface  with  an  im- 
penetrable closeness  that  would  resist  the  sharp  nose 
of  a  crocodile.  We  were  in  a  channel  two  hundred 
yards  wide,  walled  in  by  a  bank  of  vegetation  that 
rose  150  feet  high.  Two  lofty  fortress  walls  could  not 
have  been  more  inhospitable  to  us.  Therefore,  while 
the  skies  warned  us  to  shelter,  the  shores  on  either 
side  positively  refused  it.  The  zenith  became  finally 
overcast  and  gloomy,  but  the  northern  sky  changed  its 
hue  to  an  ashy  grey,  wherein  the  tempest  brooded. 
Through  some  invisible  influence,  the  river's  face 
became  unruffled,  the  tiniest  leaf  hung  still,  the  tallest 
reed  stood  straight,  as  though  "  attention  "  had  been 
ordered,  and  Nature  had  stiffened  into  a  petrified  still- 
ness. Only  for  a  few  minutes,  however,  for  presently 
there  was  a  simultaneous n ess  of  movement.  All  the 
millions  of  leaves  in  the  forests  were  started  into  a 
violent  rustling.  Millions  of  others  came  sailing  down 
before  the  blast  of  the  tempest,  and  millions  of  wave- 


96 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.   lets  broke  over  the  face  of  the  channel,  seeming;  to 

October  25.  .  '.  ° 

Mutembo.  ™ce  in  company  with  the  leaves.  The  tall  trees,  the 
bombax,  and  copal  and  palm,  streamed,  ragged  and 
fraved,  while  the  forests  set  up  a  fearful  groaning  and 
creaking,  almost  human  in  its  agony  of  resistance. 
We  had  no  time  to  note  further,  for  the  tempest  bore 
down  on  ns  with  such  overwhelming,  overpowering 
force,  that  our  flotilla  was  driven  down  stream,  despite 
the  strennous  resistance  steam  opposed  to  it.  We 
were  perforce  compelled  to  edge  away  to  the  shore,  to 
the  bushes  of  which  we  grappled  with  our  boat-hooks, 
and  waited  tremblingly  and  chillily  while  the  rain- 
squall  drowned  the  scene,  in  spray  and  water.  From 
my  cabin  door  I  saw  the  river's  face  covered  with  re- 
bounding jets,  which  seemed  to  spring  up  a  foot  high, 
so  forcefully  did  the  fierce  rain  scourge  its  late  calm 
face.  The  rollers  surged  against  us,  and  for  a  short 
time  we  appeared  to  be  tossing  heavily  in  an  angry 
sea.  Fortunately,  before  dark  the  rain  ceased,  and  we 
were  enabled  to  find  a  hole  in  the  bush  walls,  through 
which  the  crew  climbed  in  one  after  another  to  make 
the  hawser  fast ;  but  it  was  too  late  to  search  for 
fuel. 

A  couple  of  hours'  hard  work  next  morning  provided 
us  with  sufficient  wood  to  last  eight  hours,  and  we 
continued  our  journey.  Mutembo  and  Imeme,  places 
which  distinguished  themselves  in  1877  by  coming  out 
in  battle  array  against  us,  and  then  firing  on  us  after 
we  had  passed  their  villages,  we  discovered  to  have  been 
deserted  for  several  months.   We  then  came  opposite  to 


A  BICE  COUNTRY. 


97 


what  we  formerly  considered  to  be  the  mouth  of  the  188.3. 

•tit  October  2 

Sankuru  Kiver,  but  which  Yumbila,  our  guide,  declared  rjkata. 
to  be  merely  a  channel.  We  ascended  by  it,  since  we  kuia* 
did  not  wish  to  lose  sight  of  the  left  bank.  Here  we 
discovered  that  a  valuable  forest  of  gum  copal  trees 
commenced,  the  tops  of  which  were  draped  with  or- 
chilla  weed.  A  general  burst  of  admiration  broke  out 
from  the  lips  of  the  Zanzibaris,  who  were  heard  to 
exclaim  : 

"  Ah,  friends,  this  is  a  rich  country  !  Copal  below, 
and  enough  orchilla  to  make  many  fortunes  on  the  top. 
There  is  nothing  like  this  in  our  country.  And  just 
look  at  the  rubber  bush  !  " 

During  the  whole  of  the  27th  we  passed  by  one  con- 
tinuous copal  forest,  covered  thickly  with  the  precious 
dye-weed. 

On  the  28th  we  came  to  lower  Ukatakura,  which 
was  also  deserted,  and,  a  little  above  the  clearing, 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek  about  ten  yards  wide, 
said  by  the  guide  to  issue  from  the  Lulungu  !  Upper 
Ukatakura,  also  deserted,  was  passed  at  4  p.m.,  and  on 
the  banks  of  another  narrow  creek  just  above,  issuing 
from  the  interior,  we  camped. 

The  orchilla-covered  forest  continued  nearly  all  day 
in  view  on  the  29th.  On  our  right  the  islands  became 
shorter  and  more  complicated.  The  river  was  nearly 
bank-full  now,  but  still  rising ;  in  many  places  it  had 
already  broken  over  the  low  banks  and  entered  the 
forest,  and  the  highest  portion  uninundated  was  not 
more  than  6  inches  above  the  face  of  the  river.  This 
Vol.  II.— 7 


98 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    was  evidently  a  i>'ood  reason  why  there  was  so  much 

October  30.  ...... 

Mpaki-   unoccupied  territory  in  this  direction. 

Yumbila,  the  guide,  believed  that  the  people  of 
Imeme,  Mutembo,  and  Ukatakura  must  have  been 
driven  away  from  their  country  by  the  warriors  of 
Ubika,  who  live  on  the  right  bank. 

On  the  30th,  also,  the  copal- tree  forest  continued, 
with  its  drapery  of  dye-weed.  In  the  afternoon  we 
passed  the  deserted  settlements  of  Mpakiwana. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  31st  we  had  to  lay-by 
for  another  squall,  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  con- 
tinuing our  voyage,  we  came  abreast  of  the  palisaded 
village  of  Diya.  Iringi,  so  well  remembered  for  the 
absurd  and  treacherous  attack  its  people  made  on  us  in 
1877,  was  discovered  at  noon  quite  deserted.  Ikingi,  a 
tribe  inland,  had  warred  with  the  people  of  Iringi,  and 
compelled  them  to  settle  at  Umangi,  on  the  right  bank. 

At  three  o'clock  we  were  halted  by  some  small 
rapids,  and  compelled  to  seek  another  channel.  We 
were  finally  enabled  to  steam  through  deep  water 
unobstructed  to  Mpa,  ruled  by  Iunga,  situate  just  one 
mile  above  the  rapids,  where  we  were  received  with 
the  same  amiability  that  distinguished  their  neighbours 
of  Rubunga  in  1877. 

We  had  now  arrived  at  a  point  744  statute  miles 
from  Leopold vi lie,  and  about  500  miles  of  this  distance 
had  been  traversed  along  low-forested  banks  of  main- 
land and  islands.  But  as  soon  as  we  came  near  the 
small  rapids  of  Mpa,  a  wide  diagonal  stretch  of  river 
came  into  view,  at  the  upper  end  of  which  rose  the 


REFUSING  TRADE. 


99 


beautiful  hills  of  Upoto,  suffused  with  the  tender  green  1883. 
colour  of  young  grass,  except  at  the  lower  slopes,  where  Langa- 
we  saw  extensive  groves  of  bananas  and  fields  of  Lan§fl' 
cassava. 

On  the  next  day  we  steamed  up  to  the  village  of 
Nganza,  lorded  by  old  Eubunga.  It  had  been  moved 
slightly  from  the  place  we  saw  it  five  years  before 
through  some  internecine  squabble.  We  were  not  long 
in  renewing  our  acquaintance  with  the  old  chief 
Eubunga,  whose  own  village  is  several  miles  higher,  and 
Makukuru,  who  remains  master  of  New  Xganza.  As  in 
the  old  time,  Umangi,  Mpissa,  Ukere,  and  Upoto  from 
the  right  bank,  and  Mpa  from  the  left  bank,  despatched 
their  representatives  with  ivory  tusks,  large  and  small, 
goats  and  sheep,  and  vegetable  food,  clamorously  de- 
manding that  we  should  buy  from  them.  Such  urgent 
entreaties  accompanied  with  blandishments  to  purchase 
their  stock  were  difficult  to  resist.  The  people  had 
become  firmly  convinced  that  so  many  whites  ad- 
vancing from  the  quarter  from  which  guns  and 
powder,  cloth,  beads,  and  wire  were  known  to  issue- 
could  not  have  ventured  so  far  except  for  that  object. 
Therefore  they  would  not  for  a  considerable  time 
understand  a  refusal.  When  at  last  they  fully  under- 
stood that  we  would  not  purchase  ivory  their  dis- 
appointment was  naturally  very  great,  and  yet  they 
persisted  in  offering  their  elephant  teeth  at  such  ridi- 
culously low  prices,  that  it  was  no  wonder  the  riverine 
tribes  below  felt  vexed  when  they  saw  us  pass  by  them 
to  the  far-famed  Langa-Langa. 


100 


THE  CONGO. 


^1883.  According  to  Yumbila,  the  populated  districts  here- 
Langa-  about  are  known  to  the  Wyyanzi  and  Bangala  as 
Langa-Langa  (the  tipper  country  ?).  This  is  the  El 
Dorado  of  native  ivory  buyers,  probably  from  the  un- 
sophisticated aboriginism  of  the  clotheless  and  over- 
tattooed  beings  they  met  here. 

Few  of  our  crews  believed  that  there  were  women 
of  their  colour  who  went  about  before  men's  eyes 
absolutely  nude.  Naked  busts  and  limbs  freely  exposed 
were  common,  they  were  aware,  through  the  exigencies 
of  aboriginal  life,  but  this  unabashed  nudity  much 
astonished  them. 

A  word  must  be  uttered  in  extenuation  of  this 
shameless  exposure  of  their  persons  by  the  women  of 
Langa-Langa.  Perceiving  that  cloth  or  other  covering 
is  unobtainable  to  screen  their  persons  from  the  gaze 
of  men,  they  have  resorted  to  marring  that  comeliness 
of  which  they  originally  might  have  boasted  by  scar- 
ring their  faces  and  busts.  Or  was  it  the  jealousy  of 
the  men,  who  imagined  this  hideous  device  to  shield 
their  women  from  harm  ?  However  the  folly,  nay, 
crime,  originated,  it  has  served  the  purpose  effectually, 
and  the  Langa-Langa  people,  by  immolating  that 
smoothness  of  outline  of  the  face  and  velvety  touch 
of  the  skin,  have  saved  themselves  from  being  en- 
slaved. Strangely  enough,  the  Langa-Langa  people 
think  the  style  of  scarring  their  faces  by  thousands 
of  little  cuts,  interspersed  with  huge  tumorous  blisters, 
to  be  beautifying ;  and  Maka-kuru,  having  become  my 
brother,  earnestly  implored  me  to  give  him  the  oppor- 


THE  CUItliENCY  CHANGING. 


101 


tunity  of  exercising  his  skill  in  this  novel  art  of  1883. 

Noy.  1. 

personal  adornment  on  my  own  face  !  Langa- 
They  have  many  more  muskets  at  Langa-Langa  than  Langa* 
they  owned  in  1877.  In  that  year  they  only  possessed 
four,  with  no  powder,  but  the  Ban  gala  have  since  then 
extended  their  influence,  and  now  there  may  be  pro- 
bably a  hundred  guns  on  both  banks  of  the  river.  Like 
other  natives,  even  those  near  to  the  coast,  the  loud 


NATIVE  OF  LANGA-LANGA. 


startling  roar  of  powder  has  a  charm  for  them  ;  and 
though  they  are  not  bold  against  Bangala  and  Irebu 
warriors,  they  are  willing  enough  to  frighten  people  in 
the  interior  wTho  have  not  yet  succeeded  in  obtaining 
the  much  prized  musket. 

The  currency  here  changes.  The  whole  piece 
(twenty-four  yards)  of  domestics  and  stripes  effectively 
served  us  as  far  as  Many  an  ga.    Blue  glass  beads  be- 


102 


THE  CONGO. 


came  then  in  demand  as  far  as  Iyumbi  ridge;  thence 
as  far  as  Langa-Langa  the  brass  rod  or  matako  was  the 
most  convenient ;  but  at  Langa-Langa  the  masaro,  or 
sofi,  of  Ujiji,  known  to  Italians  as  Cannetone  bead, 
very  similar  to  half-inch  pieces  of  pipe  stem,  white  and 
black,  comes  into  use  with  large  cowries.  Brass  rods 
are  slowly  coming  into  favour,  but  the  trader  will 
regret  being  unprovided  with  the  pipe  stems.  Cloth, 
however,  will  win  the  day  here  eventually.  We  were 
literally  besieged  for  the  very  smallest  refuse  of  clout- 
rag  that  we  possessed.  The  store  of  bread,  eggs,  fowls, 
obtained  for  cast-off  pieces  of  cotton  dress,  was  most 
surprising,  while  two  yards  of  bright  red  handkerchief 
purchased  a  fat  goat. 

The  Langa-Langa  natives  have  only  lately  learned 
that  ivory  is  marketable.  The  visits  of  the  Bangala  to 
them  have  excited  Mpa,  Yakongo,  Ikassa,  on  the  left 
bank,  and  Umangi,  Mpissa,  Ukere,  Upoto,  and  Iringi 
on  the  right  bank,  to  exploit  the  regions  above  them, 
in  the  same  manner  as  they  themselves  are  periodically 
visited  by  Iboko  and  Irebu. 

From  Nganza  our  course  is  eastward  as  we  continue 
our  voyage,  and  will  continue  so  for  about  two  degrees 
of  longitude.  Since  leaving  Leopoldville  Our  course 
has  been  about  north  by  east  as  far  as  the  junction  of 
the  Kwa  with  the  Congo,  thence  north  for  about  130 
miles,  thence  about  north  by  east  as  far  as  Iboko,  thence 
east  by  north  as  far  as  Nganza. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  clinging  still  to  the  left 
bank  we  passed  after  about  eight  miles  steaming  the 


TIMIDITY  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


103 


new  village  of  Rubunga,  called  Yakongo  ;  at  noon  we  1883. 

Nov.  4. 

were  abreast  of  Ikassa  in  N.  Lat.  2°  1'.  The  people  ^dobo< 
were  too  timid  to  answer  our  hail,  but  at  Yakongo, 
despite  our  friendship  with  old  Rubunga,  they  seemed 
to  have  prepared  for  flight  up  a  creek,  the  entrance 
to  which  had  been  palisaded  to  prevent  our  approach. 
I  presume  the  men  must  have  had  cause  to  dread 
the  acquaintance  of  strangers.  The  arrival  of  cloth, 
however,  in  greater  abundance  must  undoubtedly  seal 
effectually  the  virtue  of  the  females. 

Getting  out  of  the  narrow  channel  running  by 
Ikassa. and  Yakongo,  we  steamed  across  to  the  right 
bank  to  try  our  fortunes  thence  forward  on  that  side. 

On  the  5th  all  traces  of  the  hills  of  Upoto  had 
vanished  and  we  had  the  same  flatness  of  ground 
again,  but  of  a  more  habitable  height  above  river,  and 
the  forests  that  rose  in  such  towering  walls  of  dark 
green  vegetation,  had  been  cleared  in  many  places, 
although  the  inhabitants  were  wanting. 

The  next  day,  after  passing  several  abandoned  sites, 
we  came  to  Ndobo,  a  very  large  and  newly  built 
village  or  town,  laid  in  an  uniform  line  of  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  in  length.  Immediately  beyond  rose 
Ibunda  into  view,  whose  people  we  found  seated  on 
the  ground  with  their  spears  and  offensive  weapons 
alongside  of  each. 

As  these  people  had  evidently  but  lately  settled  in 
the  two  towns,  they  were  not  remarkable  for  neatness 
in  appearance.  The  lower  half  of  some  of  the  huts 
were  of  wattle  and  plastered  over.  Steep  ladders  strung 


104 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  along  the  upright  clay  bank,  which  was  from  8  to 
Ndobo.  12  feet  above  the  river,  enabled  the  natives  to  step 
in  and  out  of  their  canoes.  Their  dug-outs,  though 
numerous,  appeared  to  be  small,  and  only  adapted  for 
fishing.  Sloping  roads  had  been  carved  out  of  the 
bank  here  and  there  to  enable  them  to  drag  their 
vessels  up  to  the  safe  level  of  their  town,  and  to  launch 
their  new  canoes,  many  of  which  we  saw  in  process  of 
construction. 

It  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ndobo  we  saw  the 
first  heap  of  oyster  shells,  which  will  no  doubt  long 
remain  there  in  evidence  of  a  former  population. 

Early  on  the  7th  we  arrived  at  Bumba,  which  in  size 
was  a  real  town.  A  fog  had  prevented  us  from  seeing 
anything  until  we  were  close  upon  it.  By  the  tran- 
quillity of  demeanour  observed  among  the  people  we 
deemed  it  opportune  to  test  their  hospitality  and 
friendliness,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  invitation 
to  go  alongside  the  tall  bank.  Myombi,  the  chief,  was 
easily  persuaded  by  Yumbila  to  make  blood-brother- 
hood with  me,  and  for  the  fiftieth  time  my  poor  arm 
was  scarified,  and  my  blood  shed  for  the  cause  of 
civilisation.  Probably  one  thousand  people  of  both 
sexes  looked  on  the  scene  wonderingly  and  strangely. 
A  young  branch  of  a  palm  was  cut,  twisted  and  a  knot 
tied  at  each  end ;  the  knots  were  dipped  in  wood  ashes, 
and  then  seized  and  held  by  each  of  us  while  the 
medicine-man  practised  his  blood-letting  art,  and 
lanced  us  both  until  Myombi  winced  with  pain.  After 
which  the  knotted  branch  wras  severed,  and  in  some 


THE  DREADED  IBANZA. 


105 


incomprehensible  manner  I  had  become  united  for  ever  1883. 

1  m  Nov.  7. 

to  my  fiftieth  brother,  to  whom  I  was  under  the  Bumba. 
obligation  of  defending  against  all  foes  until  death. 

Despite,  however,  these  and  sundry  other  precau- 
tions against  imaginary  evil,  the  people  were  not  quite 
satisfied  in  their  minds,  for  the  dreaded  Ibanza  must  be 
concealed,  they  thought,  in  our  boats.  What  was  it 
that  they  heard  throb  and  sigh,  and  groan  so  heavily 
as  the  En  Avant  came  alongside  their  landing  place  ? 
They  ranged  themselves  over  and  above  the  boats,  lost 
in  silent  contemplation  of  the  wonderful  structures. 
Their  thoughts  struggling  for  utterance  were  perplex- 
ing them,  and  preventing  the  usual  glib  and  noisy 
interchange  of  ideas.  The  problems  they  have  to 
resolve  are  weighty  and  difficult,  they  know  of  nothing 
to  which  they  can  compare  the  medley  of  strange  noises 
issuing  from  the  huge  iron  pots  which  hiss  incessantly. 
What  unseen  power  was  it  that  revolved  the  wheels 
they  saw  fly  around  with  lightning  speed?  What 
does  that  iron  drum  contain  ?  Why  is  that  white 
cook  throwing  in  such  large  sticks  ?  Does  the  Ibanza 
eat  wood?  Is  it  the  Ibanza  cooped  up  in  the  iron 
drum  who  makes  that  squeaking  noise  escaping  out 
of  the  funnel  ?  These  and  such  like  thoughts  trouble 
the  minds  of  the  aborigines  of  Burnba,  so  that  little 
trade  for  food  can  be  made  although  it  is  plentiful 
and  cheap. 

On  the  8th,  bananas,  goats,  chickens,  sugar-cane, 
tobacco,  pumpkins,  sweet  potatoes  and  yams  are  freely 
sold,  although  the  multitude  is  flighty  and  prone  to 


106 


THE  CONGO. 


^883.  panic,  which  causes  the  two  chiefs  Myombi  and  Sungo 
Bumba.  Maji  to  be  rushing  about  crying  out  "  Peace,  0  people  ! 
Sell  your  produce  in  security,  these  whites  are  our 
brothers  by  every  bond  that  can  bind  us."  Withal, 
however,  these  hearty  efforts  to  impress  their  people 
with  confidence  the  slightest  rush  of  steam,  a  movement 
of  a  white  man,  the  impatient  lifting  of  a  helmet  off 
the  brow,  the  scratching  of  a  heated  head  would  send 
hundreds  promiscuously  flying  like  a  herd  of  frightened 
buffalo.  Sacred  water  was  sprinkled  along  the  shore, 
and  over  the  trees,  and  towards  the  boats ;  the  long 
hand-bell  of  Sungo  Maji  was  vigorously  beaten,  and  old 
men  came  and  muttered  their  incantations,  but  yet 
there  was  a  dread  of  the  "  Ibanza."  The  stifled  screams 
of  women  testified  to  a  preseniiment  that  he  was 
present,  the  uneasy  restless  rolling  eyes  of  the  men 
searched  for  the  first  symptoms  that  he  was  advancing 
the  cries  of  "  Be  firm,  0  men  of  Bumba,  there  is 
nothing  to  fear !  "  reiterated  over  and  over,  by  the 
chiefs,  who  were  ringing  their  bells  like  anxious  town- 
criers,  denoted  vivid  expectancy,  and  finally  the 
"  Ibanza  "  emerged  into  view  ! 

One  of  my  cabin-boys,  enjoying  all  this  extraordinary 
fright  visible  in  the  actions  and  faces  of  the  natives, 
while  I  was  engaged  talking  with  the  engineer,  had 
gone  into  the  cabin,  shutting  the  door  after  him. 
Presently  the  door  was  violently  burst  open,  and  the 
splendid  form  of  a  royal  Bengal  tiger  crawled  out ! 
A  long  thrilling  shriek  rang  out,  and  all  at  once  the 
hundreds  that  stood  on  the  shore,  casting  one  hurried 


A  THICK  WITH  A  TIGER-SKIN. 


107 


glance  at  the  terrible  figure,  with  an  unity  of  move-  1883. 

Nov.  8. 

ment  fled  shrieking  and  yelling  from  the  river  bank.  Yambing! 

When  we  discovered  what  had  caused  this  extra- 
ordinary flight  of  the  aborigines,  their  yells  were 
immediately  followed  by  roars  of  laughter  from  the 
crews  of  the  boats,  which  the  flying  natives  heard, 
and  then  halted,  reassured  more  effectively  by  the 
merriment  than  by  hours  of  bell  ringing  on  the  part 
of  the  criers.  It  brought  them  back,  too,  to  see  a 
tall  young  fellow  laughing  immoderately,  while  a 
collapsed  tiger-skin  lay  at  his  feet  in  a  harmless  heap. 
The  laughter  became  contagious,  and  one  might  see 
an  entire  population  slapping  their  thighs,  staggering 
convulsively  about,  and  grasping  one  another  for 
support  as  they  reeled  under  the  spasms  which 
agitated  them. 

An  hour  and  a  half  above  Bumba  is  an  equally 
populous  town  named  Yambinga.  It  is  on  the  same 
bank.  As  we  approached,  the  lower  portion  of  the 
town  appeared  to  be  disposed  to  reject  us ;  but  we 
persevered  in  bawling  out  for  Mukuku,  the  chief  of 
Yambinga,  whose  name  we  had  slyly  obtained  from 
Sungo-Maji  of  Bumba.  In  about  fifteen  minutes 
Mukuku  deigned  to  come  out  into  view  on  the  river 
bank,  a  veritable  dark  Robinson  Crusoe,  in  head- 
dress and  accoutrements.  Over  his  curly  head  he 
wore  an  antelope-skin  cap,  adorned  with  a  mighty 
crest  of  cock's  feathers,  while  a  broad  shoulder-belt 
of  leopard-skin,  attached  to  which  was  a  miscellaneous 
assortment  of  the  tags  and  tassels  of  fetish  mysteries, 


108 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    was   slung1   over  his   nianlv  breast.     He  advanced 

Nov.  8.      .      .  fo  . 

Yambiuga.  ringing  energetically  his  long  bell,  crying,  "  I  am 
Mukuku,  and  I  have  heard  of  the  Ibanza.  I  wish 
to  see  him  face  to  face.  Let  the  Ibanza  land,  and 
come  to  Mukuku." 

These  were  brave  words  ;  but  anyone  might  see  by 


OLD  CHIEF  IN  NATIVE-MADE  HAT. 

the  manner  Mukuku  hovered  near  the  thickest  of  the 
human  throng,  that  had  he  not  been  chief,  and  been 
so  vociferously  hailed  by  Yumbila,  he  would  have 
much  preferred  to  remain  unseen  by  the  grim  spirit 
whom  he  so  valorously  adjured  to  walk  ashore. 

We  set  ourselves  resolutely  to  conquer  Mukuku's 


YAM  BIN  OA. 


109 


fear  of  the  Ibanza,  and  with  such  good  results,  that  1883. 

Nov.  8 

after  the  blood-brotherhood  ceremony  had  been  de-  yambini 
spatched,  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  of  our  benignity 
remained  in  the  good  man's  head. 

During  our  stay  here,  the  information  was  elicited 
that  behind,  or  to  the  north  of  Yambinga,  there  flowed 
a  river  which  emptied  into  the  Congo,  east  of  their 
town,  called  by  some  Itimbiri,  by  others  Ngingiri. 
They  said  it  was  large ;  and  that  traders  came  from 
the  north,  and  sold  cowries  and  white  beads  to  the 
Watumba  who  inhabited  Musanga  land. 

"  Yambinga,"  said  our  informants,  "  and  all  this 
country  round  here,  is  an  island  (a  peninsula  ?),  for  the 
Itimbiri  river  is  large,  and  ascends  far  behind  us." 

They  also  gave  us  a  vast  number  of  names  of  places  ; 
but  their  ideas  of  locality  were  so  very  vague,  and  as 
each  channel  and  islet  of  the  main  river  bears  its  dis- 
tinctive title,  their  information  had  no  practical  value. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  at  2  p.m.,  we  continued 
our  journey,  and  an  hour  later  passed  by  Upper  Yam- 
binga. At  this  place,  hauled  ashore,  or  floating  in  the 
river  fastened  to  stakes,  there  were  243  pirogues; 
Lower  Yambinga  possessed  313  exposed  to  sight, 
Bumba  nearly  400,  Ndobo  and  Ibunda,  perhaps  as 
many,  by  which  we  have  1300  "  dug-outs,"  or  pirogues. 
As  the  smallest  of  these  will  likely  have  a  beam  of 
15  inches,  and  is  about  20  feet  in  length,  an  idea 
may  be  gained  of  the  supplies  of  timber  furnished 
by  about  twenty  miles  of  forest.  The  war  canoes 
are  too  valuable  to  be  exposed  to  risk  of  loss  by 


110 


THE  CONGO. 


jjJJ8^  flood,  so  they  are  submerged  and  fastened  by  strong 
itimbiri.  rattan  hawsers  to  poles  deeply  buried  in  the  clayey 
bank. 

By  clinging  to  the  right  bank,  despite  the  un- 
promising narrowness  of  some  of  the  channels,  we 
came  in  the  afternoon,  two  hours  after  passing  Upper 
Yambinga,  into  a  broad  channel  350  yards  wide,  which 
by  following  up  we  found  led  us  from  a  course  E.S.E. 
to  N.E.,  and  kept  northing  very  fast  until  we  were 
running  .N.N.E.  It  was  then  on  waking  up  that  we 
discovered  ourselves  to  be  in  the  river  named  to  us  as 
the  Itimbiri.  At  Yankau,  on  its  left  bank,  seated  on 
a  bluff  with  a  clear  open  country  about  it,  where  the 
river  still  showed  signs  of  further  inclination  to  the 
north,  we  retraced  our  course. 

This  then  was  the  river  which  the  people  of  Yam- 
binga said  ran  behind  them,  and  along  which,  in  its 
upper  course,  traders  came  from  the  north  distributing 
the  Italian  cannetone  beads,  and  on  whose  banks  lived 
the  Watumba.  The  water  they  said  spread  out  broad 
in  some  places,  and  a  man  could  not  be  seen  on  its 
opposite  shore.  Could  it  be  a  lake,  or  a  mere  broad 
expansion  of  the  river  ? 

The  mouth  of  the  river  is  in  N.  Lat.  1°  57',  and  is 
about  180  geographical  miles  in  a  direct  line  to  In- 
guima,  on  the  Welle-Makua  Eiver.  Its  water  is 
certainly  clear,  and  might  well  come  from  a  lake  at 
no  great  distance  inland.  Yamu-ningiri  is  the  name 
of  a  large  village  about  eight  miles  above  the  con- 
fluence, up  the  Itimbiri.    The  river  forms  a  delta,  and 


SKILL  IN  METAL  WORKING. 


Ill 


many  forested  islets  dot  the  entrance.  Opposite  Yankau  1883. 

J  t  Nov.  10. 

it  is  a  deep,  navigable  river,  fully  350  yards  wide,  of  Mutembo. 
a  slightly  darker  colour  than  the  Congo. 

On  the  great  river,  situate  above  the  confluence 
about  four  miles,  we  discovered  Mutembo,  consisting 
of  three  palisaded  villages.  Its  inhabitants  crouched 
behind  their  huts,  spear  in  hand,  to  resist  an  expected 
attack,  and  as  we  passed  by  they  dashed  out  into  the 
open  and  slapped  their  rearward  parts — a  method  of 
expressing  contempt  pretty  generally  known  to  vulgar 
Europeans. 

On  the  12th,  in  the  early  morning,  we  passed  by  an 
unusually  large  clearing,  that  we  at  first,  from  its 
spacious  breadth,  took  to  be  a  natural  plain.  A  city 
might  have  stood  on  the  magnificent  site,  which  was 
now  dreary  and  desolate.  The  large  population  sup- 
ported upon  this  wide  expanse  must  have  had  power- 
ful reasons  for  its  abandonment,  of  which  we  must 
remain  yet  awhile  ignorant. 

For  the  first  time  we  saw  the  left  bank  of  the  Congo, 
clear  across  from  the  right  bank.  The  abandoned 
plain  was  once  occupied  by  the  Yalulima  tribe,  whom 
we  shall  meet  on  the  left  bank  as  we  descend.  This 
tribe  is  cunning  for  its  iron  manufactures,  including 
the  spears,  the  swords,  the  long  bells,  single  and 
double,  and  the  tiny  dancing  bells,  which  the  pro- 
fessors of  fetishism  —  Mgangaism,  Inkissism,  Ikiraism, 
or  by  whatever  name  you  choose  to  designate  the 
sorceries  known  to  these  natives — love  to  attach  to 
their  snake  and  iguana-skin-girdles. 


112 


THE  CONGO. 


N188^2  At  the  projecting  point  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Yambungu.  river,  in  the  plain  which  the  Yalulima  tribe  once 
inhabited,  the  breadth  of  the  Congo  is  about  a  mile  and 
a  half,  and  eight  miles  of  a  view  up  stream  is  obtained, 
while  as  far  as  Mutembo  below,  the  main  channels  lie 
fully  exposed  for  many  miles. 

An  island,  a  few  miles  above,  contains  the  village 
of  Yambungu,  whose  natives  showed  a  disposition  to 
be  friendly,  but  their  dialect  was  unintelligible  to  us, 
although  our  guide,  Yumbila,  comprehended  what  they 
said.  They  showed  to  us  several  large  tusks  of  ivory, 
but,  perceiving  that  we  were  not  purchasers  of  their 
precious  material,  they  brought  to  us  enormous  yams, 
and  baskets  of  large  healthy  sweet  potatoes,  also  sheep 
with  broad  fat  tails,  besides  fowls  and  eggs. 

Opposite  the  upper  extremity  of  this  island  we  dis- 
covered the  embouchure  of  another  river — -the  Nkuku  ? 
— whose  waters  verged  on  blackish  in  colour.  Two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  would  be  a  fair  estimate  of  its 
breadth.  Not  much  information  that  was  intelligible 
could  be  gained  from  the  natives,  but  my  opinion  is 
that  it  is  a  branch  of  the  Itimbiri  River.  Inland  they 
said  that  it  was  of  great  width.  The  districts  around 
it  are  populous.  We  heard  such  names  of  villages  as 
Luika,  Yatui,  Bwila,  Mukanda-Meya,  Isako,  Bungele, 
Wanbuna,  but  as  we  may  have  shortly  to  locate  these 
definitely,  it  will  be  better  for  us  in  the  meantime  to 
leave  the  districts  blank 

On  the  13th  we  voyaged  along  a  marvellously  rich 
bank  of  tropical  woods,  dotted  thickly  with  the  fishing 


APPEAJRANCE  OF  WAR  CANOES. 


113 


hamlets  of  the  Basaka.  The  islands  of  the  Congo  we 
also  discovered  to  be  peopled. 

On  the  14th  we  passed  by  the  Bahamba  villages, 
and  large  war  canoes  were  observed  to  hover  about, 
some  of  them  being  manned  by  forty  men.  When  they 
perceived  that  we  steadily  pursued  our  way  without 
attempting  to  land  they  returned  to  their  villages.  At 
night  we  heard  the  sound  of  drums  up-river,  and  were 
reminded  of  our  experiences  in  1877. 

On  the  15th  we  steamed  up,  and  at  8  a.m.  came 
in  view  of  the  Baruu  villages,  situate  on  high  ground, 
probably  60  feet  above  the  river.  There  was  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  hostile  demonstration  with  spears 
and  shields  along  the  bank,  but  our  steady  progress 
past  them,  with  our  still  demeanour,  aided  by  their 
curiosity  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  steamers,  quite 
tranquilised  them. 

A  thick  fog  settled  over  us  for  about  an  hour,  and 
the  left  bank  loomed  up  into  view  between  the  islets. 

At  noon  I  obtained  an  observation,  and  discovered 
that  we  were  in  N.  lat.  1°  17',  and  much  nearer  the 
Aruwimi  than  I  thought. 

Orders  were  then  given  to  prepare  rifles  and  cart- 
ridges, to  guard  against  those  impetuous  spearsmen  of 
the  great  affluent  which  despatched  its  enormous  canoe- 
flotilla  against  us  in  1877.  It  was  not  likely  that  the 
fierce  aborigines  would  repeat  their  attempt  against  a 
steam-flotilla ;  still  prudence  warned  us  not  to  omit  pre- 
cautions, for  if  we  were  ever  taken  unawares  in  this 
region  so  far  removed  from  help,  the  flood  of  the  Congo 
Yol.  II.— 8 


114 


THE  CONGO, 


ms.    would  certainly  be  the  recipient  of  our  mutilated 

Nov.  15.  .  . 

Aruwimi.  remains.  We  are  also  on  this  occasion  armed  with 
a  charm,  against  which,  unless  they  are  hopelessly 
hostile,  they  need  not  hope  to  contend,  and  that  is 
a  determination  on  our  part  to  remain  passive.  Only 
when  nothing  else  will  avail  shall  we  employ  our  rifles, 
and  if  we  have  to  resort  to  our  weapons,  we  shall 
remain  until  their  savageness  shall  be  utterly  extin- 
guished. 

The.  forest  on  our  left,  as  we  advance,  is  grand  in  its 
wealth  of  valuable  woods  and  refreshing  vernal  appear- 
ance. The  islets  are  rapidly  thinning,  the  left  bank 
rises  boldly  into  view,  and  the  Congo  appears  to 
emerge  into  one  broad  united  stream.  I  am  observing 
these  features  of  the  landscape,  when  an  immensely 
long  canoe,  loaded  with  armed  men,  dashes  from 
behind  an  island,  and  races  rapidly  across  the  stream  ; 
being  presently  followed  by  another,  and  still  another. 
Compared  with  the  petty  dug-outs  which  we  have 
hitherto  seen,  they  are  splendid  vessels. 

We,  however,  advance  in  close  . order;  and  I  doubt 
much  whether  these  reconnoitring  war-canoes,  after 
discovering  the  strange  guise  in  which  the  strangers 
are  advancing,  have  obtained  much  comfort  in  the 
column  of  smoke-boats. 

The  war-canoes  having  reached  the  right  bank,  con- 
tinue on  their  way  upward,  one  after  another ;  and  in 
this  sight  our  eyes,  rapidly  taking  note  of  every  move- 
ment, detect  in  it  an  augury  of  good.  "  There  is  not 
going  to  be  a  rush  this  time,"  we  thought. 


BATTLE  ARRAY. 


115 


Presently  passing  the  abandoned  clearing  where 
stood  the  village  which  we  stormed  and  took  by 
assault  in  1877,  and  the  very  spot  where  we  awaited 
the  attack  of  the  flotilla  of  the  Aruwimi,  the  great 
affluent  gapes  open  into  view.  The  mighty  parent 
stream  also  appears,  with  its  magnificent  breadth  of 
water.  Steadily  continuing  on  our  way,  we  enter 
the  Aruwimi,  until  rounding*  a  point  which  has 
prevented  us  as  yet  from  obtaining  a  view  of  the 
villages,  we  see  the  town  of  Mokulu,  where  the  Basoko, 
or  Basongo,  our  ancient  foes,  reside.  It  is  extended 
along  a  high  clay  bank  about  three  miles  in  length. 
All  its  males,  I  should  say,  are  in  battle  array  on  the 
verge,  presenting  an  irregular,  bronze-coloured  line  of 
fully- armed  men.  Brave  in  their  war-paint — yellow, 
red,  and  white — and  holding  large  shields  on  their 
left  arms,  they  disport  themselves  fantastically  before 
our  view,  while  the  great  war-drums  thunder  the 
alarm,  and  incite  their  courage  to  its  utmost  pitch  by 
a  deep,  bellowing  sound.  Keeping  a  respectful  ad- 
vance of  us  are  the  three  war-canoes,  now  joined  by 
four  other  monsters  of  craft  of  excavated  teak,  having 
double  rows  of  upstanding  paddlers  in  each,  with  their 
paddle-shafts  decorated  with  round  ivory  balls,  while 
on  the  platforms  astern  dance  the  naval  warriors,  and 
startling  blasts,  from  long  ivory  horns,  sound  wild 
musical  notes,  which  are  re-echoed  by  the  tall  woods 
on  the  opposite  side. 

Arriving  opposite  the  centre  of  the  town,  we  steered 
across  the  river  to  a  small  clearing,  which  I  detected  in 


116 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    the  bank,  dividing  the  great  affluent  from  the  Congo. 

lokuinj  The  steam-launches,  Royal  and  A.I. A.,  also  the  whale- 
boat  and  canoes,  were  left  here,  while  the  En  Avant, 
detached  from  her  consorts,  raced  across  the  stream 
back  again  to  the  warriors,  that  were  so  conspicuously 
outlined  on  the  verge  of  the  bank  of  Mokulu.  Yura- 
bila,  with  the  promise  of  a  rich  reward  ringing  in  his 
ears  if  he  succeeded  in  allaying  this  frenzy,  took  his 
position  on  the  top  of  the  cabin,  and  the  steamer 
having  gained  the  upper  extremity  of  Mokulu,  stopped, 
and  floated  down  stream  while  the  voice  of  Yumbila 
rang  out  clear  and  loud  the  words  of  peace  and 
friendship. 

They  must  have  been  powerful  phrases  our  guide 
employed,  judging  from  the  sudden  silence  and  hush 
that  fell  on  the  crowded  river  bank.  The  drums  that 
boomed  the  sonorous  alarum  of  war  ceased  their  deep 
sounds.  The  horns  which  emitted  the  dreadful  defiant 
blasts  of  battle,  the  angry  cries  grown  hoarse  with 
fury,  the  frantic  forms  that  leaped  and  bounded  upward 
with  quivering  spears,  all  were  hushed  and  stilled,  and 
an  anxiety  to  advance  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  voice 
promising  peace  was  evident  in  the  stealthy  movement 
of  the  masses.  And  then,  although  all  this  time  we 
were  quite  ignorant  what  the  syllabled  jargon  actually 
expressed,  we  observed — for  our  task  was  that  of 
silently  noting  everything — the  people  depositing  their 
shields  and  spears  near  stumps,  or  trees,  or  houses 
in  the  rear,  as  if  there  were  a  kind  of  guilt  in  the  late 
frenzy  that  had  possessed  them. 


A  PEACEFUL  CONQUEST. 


117 


"  Bravo,  Yumbila  !  keep  at  it,  my  friend.    You  have  188:3. 

'  r    .  J  Nov,  15. 

done  well !  But  go  on,  their  ears  are  hungry  to  hear  Mokuiu. 
more  of  your  sweet  voice,"  we  whispered.  And  Yum- 
bila begins  again  with  open  palms,  bland  face,  and 
archness  combined  with  humour,  to  expatiate,  we 
presume,  upon  the  blessings  of  maintaining  a  friendly 
communion  of  man  with  man.  Accent  and  gesture 
are  both  so  expressive,  that  they  finally  extort  from  a 
warrior  on  the  bank  friendly  human  tones  in  reply. 
They  are  so  modulated  and  framed  that  they  impress 
even  our  ignorant  ears  and  dull  senses  with  a  feeling 
that  the  speaker  of  the  Basoko  is  explaining  suavely 
the  causes  that  induced  him  and  his  fellows  to  exhibit 
themselves  so  rampantly  ferocious.  And  then  we 
understand,  through  Yumbila,  that  we  are  requested 
to  camp  where  the  other  steamers  are  left  for  the 
present,  and  that  after  awhile  the  Basoko  would  come 
to  us  as  friends. 

We  waited  an  hour  at  our  forest  camp,  and  then 
half-a-dozen  tiny  canoes,  each  containing  two  men, 
advanced  within  250  yards  of  us.  There  they  hesi- 
tated, contenting  themselves  with  gently  paddling 
against  the  current. 

Yumbila  was  again  required  to  exert  his  suasive 
accents  to  inspire  them  with  courage  to  advance  nearer. 
How  very  patient  we  all  were,  watching  this  slow 
growth  of  confidence  in  their  minds,  may  be  imagined 
when  it  took  those  people  an  hour  to  approach  our 
shore,  a  few  paces  above  our  camp.  Thither  Yumbila, 
and  three  of  the  most  plausible  of  our  men,  marched  to 


US 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  meet  them,  where  the  ceremony  of  blood-brotherhood 
Mokuiu.  was  enacted,  and  shrill  screams  of  satisfaction  an- 
nounced that  their  timidity  was  at  last  vanquished. 
The  town  of  Mokuiu  heard  the  good  news,  and  the 
great  drums  now  sounded  the  intelligence  around, 
which  presently  were  responded  to  with  thunderous 
booms  from  some  other  distant  community,  and  thus 
our  intercourse  with  the  wild  Basoko  commenced. 


YUMBILA'S  BUDGET. 


119 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

TJP  THE  BIYERRE. 

Yumbila  returns  with  an  interesting  story—  Slave  kidnappers  probably 
from  the  Soudan— Skilful  workmanship— Umanek  and  Yakui — 
Conical  huts — The  course  of  the  river— Metropolitan  Yambumba — 
A  sham  famiae — The  rapids — Supposed  identity  of  the  Biyerre  and 
Welle— Reasons  for  this  opinion — Arabs  in  the  neighbourhood — 
Again  on  the  Congo. 

Yumbila,  the  guide,  crossed  over  to  Mokulu  with  his  isss. 

'  °  ^  Nov.  16. 

newly-made  blood-brother  that  evening.  When  he  Mokulu. 
returned  the  next  morning  he  was  radiant  with 
triumph.  The  white  man  had  promised  to  reward 
him  for  his  signal  services,  and  the  Basoko  had  pre- 
sented him  with  two  fine  tusks  of  ivory,  to  show  their 
appreciation  of  his  worth. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  he  gossiped  until  late 
hours  among  the  Basoko,  satisfying  them  with  abundant 
information  respecting  the  white  men  and  the  propel- 
ling agencies  that  drove  the  smoke-boats  so  far  up 
against  the  current  of  the  Congo.  And  evidently  the 
Basoko  had  something  to  say  which  smacked  of  tra- 
dition and  wonder. 

Unfolding  his  budget,  Yumbila  informed  us  first  of 


120 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    how  the  Basoko,  many  years  ago,  were  alarmed  by 

Nov.  16. 

Mokuiu.  reports  of  a  powerful  tribe  who  were  descending  the 
Congo  past  the  Yakusu,  commanded  by  a  man  with  a 
face  as  pale  as  the  moon.  "  In  our  waters,"  they  said, 
"  we  never  heard  of  a  tribe  moving  down  with  many 
canoes,  unless  it  came  for  war.  So  when  we  heard  of 
this  tribe,  we  moved  out  of  our  river  to  fight  it,  but  it 
turned  against  us  just  at  the  meeting  of  the  waters, 
and  though  the  strangers  did  not  have  many  canoes, 
when  we  bore  down  on  them  they  dropped  our  people 
level  with  fire  and  soft  iron,  which  tore  us  to  pieces, 
that  we  could  not  stand  against  them.  They  then 
pursued  lis  and  fought  us  in  our  own  town,  and  we 
could  not  even  see  what  it  was  they  threw  at  us, 
except  our  dead,  who  fell  down  and  never  rose  again. 
And  the  tribe  went  away  down  the  river,  and  we 
never  heard  what  became  of  it  until  the  other  morning, 
while  it  was  quite  dark,  we  heard  the  dread  sound, 
4  boom,  boom,  boom,'  which  is  like  the  thunder  of  the 
sky  in  our  ears,  and  we  felt  the  flash  of  the  flame  in  our 
faces.  Waking  up  from  our  sleep,  we  rushed  out  from 
our  houses,  and  the  darkness  was  lit  up  by  a  thousand 
jets  of  fire  ;  and  a  crackling  noise  was  heard,  louder 
than  a  burning  plain  makes,  and  more  terrible  than 
the  most  prolonged  thunder.  There  was  whizzing  and 
buzzing,  as  of  flying  stones,  in  our  ears,  and  many  of 
our  people,  on  coming  out  into  the  light  of  the  burning 
houses,  were  struck  dead  by  these  things.  The  same 
fear  came  upon  us  as  when  we  first  heard  the  loud 
thunder  shot  at  us  from  the  strange  tribe,  years  ago, 


"  WHO   WERE  THESE  PEOPLE  f  " 


121 


on  the  river,  and  we  ran  for  our  very  lives  into  the  1883. 
depths  of  the  woods,  where,  in  the  thickest  parts,  we  Mokulu 
lay  with  our  faces  in  the  ground,  afraid  to  lift  our 
heads  up,  lest  we  might  be  hit  by  those  iron  balls  that 
sang  over  us  and  crashed  into  the  trees  from  our 
village.  When  we  heard  our  women  and  children 
cry  out,  we  thought  we  would  do  something.  From 
our  coverts  we  looked  out.  We  saw  that  some  of  our 
houses  were  still  on  fire,  and  we  heard  again  the  long 
shrieks  of  our  women  and  cries  of  our  children,  and 
again  we  heard  the  startling  boom  that  those  long 
hollow  tubes,  such  as  your  people  make,  and  again 
were  we  frightened  and  threw  ourselves  down  into  the 
thick  bush.  By-and-bye  there  was  a  deathly  stillness  ; 
we  got  a  little  bolder,  and  crept  out  to  see  for  ourselves 
what  had  happened,  and  when  we  came  to  look  upon 
Mokulu,  more  than  half  of  it  was  burnt  to  the  ground, 
as  you  can  see  to-morrow  ;  and  as  for  our  women  and 
children,  we  lost  hundreds  of  them." 

This  was  the  story  Yumbila  had  gathered,  or  some 
of  it,  which  was  only  completely  told  when  he  induced 
his  new  brothers  to  repeat  to  him  again  some  of  its 
most  prominent  points.  Yumbila  had  fully  succeeded 
in  convincing  them  that  we  could  not  have  known  of 
this  massacre  and  ruthless  deed  of  darkness. 

"  Who  were  these  people  ?  Where  did  they  come 
from  ?  Where  are  they  now  ?  By  what  river  did 
they  come  to  you  ?  " 

"  Ah,  we  know  not.  We  were  all  asleep  when  they 
came,  and  they  departed,  no  one  knows  where,  in 


122 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    canoes.    We  think  they  must  be  the  Bahunga.  or  some 

Nov.  16.  J  & 

Mokuiu.  people  from  the  far  east,  or  perhaps  they  came  from 
the  north.  Some  of  our  people  managed  to  get  a  sight 
of  them,  and  say  they  were  dressed  like  your  people. 
But  you  came  with  Yumbila  from  below,  and  Yumbila 
says  he  never  heard  of  such  people." 

By  dint  of  patient  questioning,  we  learned  also  that 
they  heard  that  there  were  people  wearing  cloth  north 
of  the  Basoko,  from  whom  they  sometimes,  in  the  way 
of  trade  with  neighbouring  tribes,  obtained  a  few  oi 
their  beads  and  copper  armlets,  but  they  had  not  seen 
any  of  them. 

Of  such  a  tribe  as  the  Bahunga  I  had  never  heard  in 
1877,  and  my  impression  was  that  these  midnight 
marauders  were  Soudan  slave-traders,  who  had  probably 
descended  the  great  affluent. 

This  opinion  induced  me  to  attempt  obtaining  some 
information  respecting  this  river.  But  even  its  name 
they  were  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  impart  to  me, 
and  when  they  asked  me  if  I  intended  to  follow  up  the 
river,  and  learned  that  such  was  my  intention,  the 
intelligence  nearly  became  the  cause  of  a  rupture  in 
our  newly-made  friendship.  This  manifest  reluctance 
to  any  disclosures  respecting  the  upper  course  of  the 
river  only  aroused  my  curiosity,  which  was  further 
increased  when  I  learned  that  they  had  no  objection 
to  our  ascent  of  the  Congo. 

Provisions  were  exceedingly  abundant  and  were 
cheaper  than  at  Iboko.  White  beads  and  cowries 
seemed  to  be  the  popular  currency  here  until  our  cloth 


MOKULU. 


123 


was  exhibited,  when,  to  possess  a  penny  handkerchief  1883. 
became  the  object  of  general  ambition.  M°okuh 

Their  paddles,  knives,  and  spears,  exhibit  remark- 
able skill  in  workmanship.  On  a  paddle  blade  may  be 
seen  an  infinite  number  of  carvings  rudely  resembling 
lizards,  crocodiles,  canoes,  fish,  buffalo,  &c.  Their 
knives  are  broad  swords  in  size  and  breadth,  and  as 
finely  polished  as  a  new  razor;  while  their  spears 


A  TYPE  OF  THK  P.ASOKO. 

are  as  sharp  and  bright  as  though  they  had  just  left 
a  Sheffield  shop. 

Almost  every  man  possessed  some  kind  of  headdress, 
either  knit  out  of  palm  fibre  material,  or  made  of  the 
skin  of  a  monkey,  or  an  antelope.  A  capacious  knit 
haversack  was  a  universal  appendage  to  the  shoulder. 

Physically  they  are  a  splendid  people  for  muscular 
development,  though  there  are  some  ill-featured,  dark 
in  colour,  and  puny  of  form  among  them.  During  the 
few  days  of  our  mutual  intercourse,  they  gave  us  a  high 
idea  of  their  qualities — industry  after  their  own  style 


124 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    not  being  the  least  conspicuous.    They  seemed  to  me 

Nov.  17. 

Umaueh.  to  be  the  most  valuable  people  for  this  characteristic 
that  I  had  met.  Their  fishing  canoes  were  witnessed 
coming  in  and  going  out  continually,  and  while  the 
people  traded  with  us,  they  continued  to  pursue  their 
knitting  of  haversacks,  hats,  fish-nets,  or  twist  twine, 
after  the  industrious  manner  of  the  traditional  grand- 
dame  of  England. 

The  town  of  Mokulu,  though  large,  did  not  come  up 
to  the  standard  I  expected  to  find  in  it  as  the  home  of 
that  overwhelming  force  of  warriors,  which  swept  down 
so  proudly  to  meet  us  in  1877.  The  reluctance  which 
the  aborigines  manifested  to  our  ascent  of  the  affluent, 
the  dim  ideas  that  crept  into  my  mind  about  Soudanese 
Arabs,  all  combined  to  create  such  a  desire  to  investi- 
gate the  river,  that,  though  our  time  was  valuable, 
we  started  on  the  17th  to  explore  it. 

From  a  breadth  of  1600  yards  at  the  mouth,  a  few 
miles  below  Mokulu,  the  river  contracts  to  900  yards; 
then,  where  islands  begin  to  be  a  little  more  numerous, 
it  widens,  from  bank  to  bank,  to  a  breadth  of  about 
1400  yards. 

At  8  a.m.  we  left  our  camp  opposite  Mokulu,  and 
two  hours  later  we  halted  to  cut  better  fuel.  Eesuming 
our  journey  at  2  p.m.,  we  found  ourselves  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  later  abreast  of  Umaneh,  which  was 
superior  in  extent  to  Mokulu.  A  veritable  Leviathan 
among  canoes  lay  alongside  the  clay  bank,  and 
would  require  at  least  one  hundred  stout  warriors  to 
propel  it  at  sufficient  speed  in  a  river-fight.    The  stern 


THE  FISHERMEN  OF  YAKUT. 


125 


platform  was  of  three-inch  teak,  while  the  bow  was  1883. 

.  .  .  Nov.  17. 

massive  enough  to  sink  a  merchant  ship.    The  empty  umaaeh. 
canoe  showed  at  least  30  inches  of  free  board,  and  along 
its  whole  length  were  carved  figures  of  crocodiles  and 
fishes. 

Umaneh  being  only  two  and  three-quarter  hours 
above'  Mokulu,  I  began  to  see  how  the  great  affluent 
could  muster  a  large  flotilla.  Messengers,  no  doubt, 
had  informed  the  natives  of  our  coming,  for  a  more 
peaceful  assemblage  than  we  noticed  on  the  banks 
could  not  have  been  wished.  They  coolly  sat  down  in 
groups,  or  singly,  surveying  our  vessels  as  though 
they  belonged  to  Greenwich  or  Liverpool.  I  should 
have  been  well  pleased  to  exchange  views  on  naval 
architecture  with  such  indefatigable  and  scientific 
canoe-constructors  as  these  Basoko  ;  but  time  would 
not  allow  of  delay. 

At  6  p.m.,  of  the  same  day,  we  were  abreast  of 
Yakui,  on  right  bank  ;  but  Yakui  on  the  left  bank, 
which  came  in  view  as  we  steamed  past  an  island,  was 
much  larger. 

At  our  camping-place  next  morning  at  dawn  ap- 
peared the  fishermen  of  Yakui,  who  sold  us  fish,  and 
imparted  the  names  of  the  villages  very  frankly.  They 
called  themselves  Basongo  very  distinctly.  When 
questioned  about  the  river,  they  gave  their  hand  a 
south-easterly  turn  indicative  of  its  course. 

A  few  miles  above  we  came  to  Isombo,  and  nearly 
opposite  was  the  first  bluff,  about  forty  feet  high,  from 
which  the  shore  curved  grandly  from  south-east  to 


126 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    north-east.    About  10  a.m.  we  appeared  in  view  of 

Nov.  18.  A  L 

Bondeh.  Bondeh,  among  the  natives  of  which  we  seemed  to 
have  created  a  panic  ;  for  the  canoes  containing  the 
women  and  children,  and  household  gods,  were  crossing 
over  to  the  left  bank  by  scores.  Here,  for  the  first 
time  also,  we  saw  a  change  in  the  architecture  of  the 
buildings.  Many  tall  conical  huts — of  the  candle- 
extinguisher  type — were  seen  rising  high  above  the 
well-known  low,  ridge-roof  style  adopted  along  the 
Congo,  since  we  left  the  Atlantic.  As  these  circular 
huts  appeared  to  be  only  about  five  feet  in  diameter, 
it  was  at  first  a  question  as  to  what  they  were 
adapted  for.  Bondeh  also  is  a  populous  village. 
The  left  bank  at  the  upper  extremity  of  Bondeh 
appears  crowned  with  another  important  village  called 
Yambi. 

When  this  last  place  appears  in  sight  the  river 
begins  another  deep  curve,  which  we  follow  for  about 
two  hours  and  find  to  be  an  almost  complete  semi- 
circle. 

My  compass  course  tells  me  that  we  have  been 
running  almost  parallel  with  the  Congo,  and  bearing 
the  south-easterly  indication  of  the  native  of  Yakui. 
For  a  moment,  I  am  half  inclined  to  suspect  that  the 
river  we  are  ascending  will  turn  out  to  be  a  right 
branch  of  the  Congo  after  all.  At  noon  I  am  anxious 
to  take  a  correct  latitude,  and  I  find  we  are  in  N.  Lat. 
0°  59'  0" !  The  day  previous  we  were  in  N.  Lat. 
1°  7'  0".  With  my  preconceptions  that  this  affluent 
must  be  the  Welle,  these  revelations  serve  to  confuse 


YAMBUMBA. 


127 


me ;  and  now,  with  curiosity  greatly  excited,  whatever 
may  be  the  result,  we  resolve  on  continuing  the 
exploration  to  a  definite  issue. 

About  2  p.m.  appear  the  populous  settlements  of 
Yambua  and  Irungu,  consisting  of  two  series  of  half-a- 
dozen  villages,  each  grouped  together  on  the  right 
bank,  on  low  rich  land  cleared  out  of  a  dense  forest. 
An  hour  later,  on  account  of  a  steady  rainfall,  we  halt 
and  camp  on  the  right  bank. 

.  We  start  at  6.30  a.m.  on  the  19th,  and  at  9  am.  the 
metropolitan  town  of  Yambumba  appears,  high  and 
dry.  on  a  semicircular  line  of  light-coloured  bluff,  forty 
feet  above  the  river,  with  a  multitude  of  steeply  conical 
huts,  whose  thatch  shows  grey  amid  vivid  green  foliage 
of.  fig-trees,  and  mighty  bombax,  palmgroves,  and 
bananas.  Eight  thousand  would  be  a  fair  estimate  of 
the  population  of  the  town.  Yet  despite  their  numbers, 
they  did  not  seem  strong-minded  enough  to  be  able  to 
resist  the  impulse  to  fly,  which  they  did  as  though  the 
eternal  enemy  of  both  black  and  white  men  was  pur- 
suing them.  At  first  they  appeared  inclined  to  gaze 
upon  us  as  tranquilly  as  those  of  Umaneh  had  done, 
and  accordingly  posed  in  unconcerned  attitudes  along 
the  verge  of  the  soft  sandstone  bluff.  But  they  no 
sooner  heard  the  strange  soughing  of  the  steamers  than 
they  took  to  their  heels,  their  shields  clattering  on  their 
hips  in  accompaniment  to  their  quick  steps.  Human 
foes  they  no  doubt  thought  they  could  cope  with ;  but 
against  the  Ibanza  puffing  and  panting  so  deeply  and 
so  strangely,  their  only  recourse  was  instant  flight. 


128 


THE  CONGO. 


Some  hills  appeared  in  the  distance,  in  a  north-, 
easterly  direction,  seeming  to  lie  in  a  range  running 
north-west  and  south-east ;  but  our  course,  after 
arriving  beyond  the  upper  horn  of  the  crescent  on 
which  Yambumba  is  situate,  still  continued  easterly. 

The  islands  gradually  disappeared,  revealing  a  clean 
breadth  of  about  800  yards  between  each  bank.  We 
observed  also  that  the  river  was  gradually  falling. 

A  thick  mist  obscured  everything  until  9  a.m.  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th,  which  prevented  us  from  pro- 
ceeding on  our  journey.  An  hour  later  appeared  a 
long  range  of  hills  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 
From  the  lower  end  of  this  range,  in  N.  Lat.  1°  16',  our 
course  led  along  a  curve  which  brought  us  at  noon  to 
N.  Lat.  1°  14'.  Four  hours  later  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  Eapids.  On  the  left  bank  were  seen  a  number  of 
villages,  all  the  huts  of  which  seemed  to  be  of  the 
sharp  conical  form. 

We  formed  a  camp  about  two  miles  below  the  rapids, 
on  the  right  bank,  at  the  sight  of  which  the  natives  of 
the  villages  across  made  a  terrible  racket  with  their 
drums.  Yumbila  was  urged  to  try  to  start  a  conversa- 
tion, the  effect  of  which  was  that  the  drumming  was 
silenced,  and  for  nearly  an  hour  the  creatures  kept 
bawling  across  the  river  one  to  another  puerile  informa- 
tion relating  to  bananas  and  goats.  Yumbila,  always 
hungry,  clamoured  to  the  aborigines  to  bring  food  to 
sell  for  beads — the  natives  as  loudly  denied  that  they 
possessed  any. 

We  went  across  in  the  whale-boat  next  morning  to 


A  SHAM  FAMINE. 


129 


attempt  to  obtain  the  goodwill  of  the  natives  of  Yam-  isss. 
buya  ;  but,  after  an  hour's  effort,  we  were  compelled  to  yJTboya. 
desist.  They  reported  they  were  starving,  and  they 
acted  the  part  of  famished  people  admirably.  A  few 
of  our  sailors  threw  some  rolls  of  bread  on  shore  in 
derisive  unbelief  of  their  statement  ;  but  the  natives, 
as  quick-witted,  affected  to  rush  for  the  bread,  and  to 
eat  it  with  inexpressible  satisfaction,  at  the  same  time 
holding  out  their  hands  imploringly  for  more.  A 
few  cowries  thrown  on  shore  also  caused  an  eager 
scrambling;  but  though  they  could  not  be  induced  to 
sell  goats  or  food,  they  were  not  averse  to  talk.  I 
fear,  that  as  they  were  such  consummate  actors,  not 
much  reliance  can  be  placed  on  any  information  given 
to  us,  since  while  they  gave  us  numerous  names  of 
places,  they  never  mentioned,  for  instance,  that  their 
own  village  was  Yambuya,  whereas  they  declared  it  to 
be  Ngonde.  The  rapids  they  also  called  Ruka  or 
Luka,  the  river  Massua,  Kiyo,  and  Ikongo,  whereas 
our  frank  friends  of  Yakui,  called  the  river  Biverre. 

Disinclined,  because  really  unable  from  the  vast 
amount  of  work  to  be  done  yet,  and  the  time  con- 
sumed in  navigating  such  lengths  of  riverwater,  to 
pursue  investigation  among  people  who  so  zealously 
baffled  our  inquiries,  we  turned  away  and  rowed  up 
to  the  rapids.  Reaching  a  point  whence  I  could 
command  full  view  of  them,  I  concluded  that  they 
might  be  descended  easily  by  men  who  knew  the 
road.  It  is  one  of  those  rapids  that  would  be  simply 
exhilarating  to  rush  down — there  are  no  treacherous 
Vol.  II.— 9 


130 


THE  CONGO. 


4883.    whirlpools,  eddies,  or   back-currents ;   it  is  a  steep 

Nov.  21. 

Yambuya.  rolling*  of  a  flood  over,  probably,  a  clean  reef.  They 
are  about  450  yards  wide,  from  the  deep  bend  in 
the  right  bank  to  the  low  point  projecting  into  the 
stream  from  the  left  bank. 

Tims  we  are  halted  after  an  ascent  of  about  ninety- 
six  English  miles  of  the  Biyerre.  As  the  confluence  of 
the  river  with  the  Congo  is  in  X.  Lat.  1°  14/,  and  our 
camp  below  the  rapids  is  in  N.  Lat.  1°  13',  our  course 
has  been  true  easterly,  notwithstanding  the  three  or 
four  semi-circular  bends  in  the  rivers  run. 

Although  ail  these  geographical  questions  will  be 
presently  settled,  yet  halting  from  pursuing  the  search 
further,  I  ought  to  state  my  reasons  for  still  main- 
taining the  opinion  that  this  river  must  be  the 
Welle. 

From  these  rapids,  the  distance  to  tnguima,  on  the 
Welle,  is  about  155  geographical  miles  in  a  direct 
line.  The  natives  of  Yankui  call  the  river  Biyerre ; 
the  Basoko  admitted  it  also,  but  stated  that  only  the 
Upper  .Aruwimi  was  called  the  Biyerre',  that  is,  that 
portion  of  it  above  the  rapids. 

The  Welle  of  Schweinfurth  is  called  by  Miani,  Ware 
and  Werre  ;  another  calls  it  Meri  or  Bere'. 

It  is  a  large  river,  600  yards  wide  and  25  feet  deep  — 
we  have  traced  it  east  across  one  degree  of  longitude. 
Over  the  rapids  we  see  that  the  hill-range  which  has 
caused  the  interruption  runs  north-west  and  south- 
east. The  river  has  been  deflected  from  its  course  by 
the  hills,  and  must  flow  from  a  north-westerly  direction. 


IDENTITY  OF  THE  B  J  YE  It  HE  AND  WELLE. 


131 


Rounding  the  south-easterly  extremity,  it  runs  direct  1883- 

°  J  J  Nov.  21. 

west  to  the  Congo.  That  there  are  other  rapids  Yambuya. 
up  above  these  may  well  be  imagined ;  the  great 
bends  wre  have  already  passed  make  it  quite  possible 
that  there  are  many  more ;  and  a  mere  view,  such  as 
we  had  of  this  curve  above  the  rapids  trending  north- 
westerly, has  but  little  value.  But  a  glance  at  the 
large  semi-circular  bend  between  the  confluence  of  the 
Nekke  with  the  Welle',  and  the  junction  of  the  Gurba 
and  the  Welle',  will  serve  to  show  that  two  inverse 
bends  w^ould  about  connect  the  Welle,  Bere,  or  Werre  of 
Schweinfurth,  Miani,  and  Junker  wTith  the  river  called 
Biyerre,  which  wre  have  just  ascended.  The  Itimbiri 
is  not  large  enough  to  receive  such  a  river  as  the 
Welle  is  figured  on  the  maps  of  its  explorers.  The 
Biyerre"  s  great  volume  must  absorb,  not  only  the 
Welle,  but  most  probably  the  Nepoko  of  Junker.  At 
this  season  the  river  Biyerre  discharges  150,000  cubic 
feet  of  water  per  second  into  the  Congo. 

Now,  Dr.  Barth  describes  the  Shari,  the  river  which 
many  geographers  insist  upon  as  receiving  the  Welle, 
thus : — 

u  I  found  myself  floating  on  this  noble  river,  which 
was  certainly  GOO  yards  across.  On  the  western  shore 
the  river  sweeps  slowly  along,  and,  in  general,  appears 
not  to  be  very  deep.  In  the  channel  the  poles  of  the 
ferrymen  indicated  a  depth  of  15  feet." 

If  we  suppose  that  this  "  noble  "  river,  the  Shari,  to 
be  GOO  yards  wide,  of  an  uniform  depth  of  15  feet, 
and  a  current  of  two  knots  an  hour,  we  only  obtain 


132 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    G7.000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second,  and  this  at  a 
Nov.  22.      ;  ..... 
irungu.   point  810  geographical  miles  in  a  direct  line  from 

Munza's  on  the  Welle.    As  Munza's  is  situated  at  a 

place  on  the  Welle  which  is  over  200  geographical 

miles  in  a  direct  line  from  its  source,  then  wTe  have 

an  Equatorial  river  with  a  course  of  nearly  2000 

English  miles,  with  only  a  volume  of  67,000  cubic 

feet  of  water  per  second.    The  Congo,  on  the  other 

hand,  after  only  1  COO  miles  of  a  course,  rolls  past 

Nyangwe  a  volume  of  230,000  cubic  feet  per  second. 

There  is  such  an  incomprehensibility  in  all  this,  that 

I  can  only  record  my  .belief  that,  as  the  Biyerre  is 

only  155  geographical  miles  from  the  lowest  point 

known  on  the  Welle,  and  discharges  such  a  volume 

of  water,  the  basin  of  the  Welle  and  the  Nepoko  must 

be  included  within  the  hydrographic  area  supplying 

the  Biyerre  with  water. 

At  a  place  just  five  miles  below  Yambuya,  on 
returning  down  river,  I  made  a  series  of  measurements 
of  current  velocity,  and  soundings.  The  central  current 
flowed  at  the  rate  of  1150  feet  in  five  minutes;  the 
greatest  depth  of  water  was  forty-two  feet ;  the  breadth 
of  river  was  580  yards. 

We  camped  at  Irungu  and  underwent  the  scarifica- 
tion of  brotherhood.  From  our  new  brothers  we  re- 
ceived the  extraordinary  information  that  the  Biyerre 
after  turning  to  the  north-west  made  another  turn 
southerly  and  joined  the  Congo.  I  presume  that  this 
must  be  the  Nepoko  affluent  of  the  Biyerre'. 

At  Yakui,so  much  had  our  peaceful  passage  up-river 


NEWS  OF  THE  ARABS. 


133 


impressed  the  people,  that  we  were  enabled  to  purchase  i8s.">. 
eight  days'  provisions.  I  heard  also  sufficient  at  this  Yakui. 
place  to  prove  that  there  were  Arabs  from  the  East 
Coast  on  the  Congo,  but  the  locality  was  so  vaguely 
designated  that  we  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  the 
news.  When,  however,  they  learned  that  after  return- 
ing to  Mokulu  we  intended  to  visit  the  Congo  in  the 
same  manner,  they  manifested  undisguised  pleasure 
for  some  reason.  The  Bahunga  marauders  were  sure 
to  "  catch  it "  they  thought,  if  they  were  overtaken 
by  us. 

A  little  before  noon  on  the  23rd  we  halted  for  a 
short  time  at  our  camp  opposite  Mokulu.  We  dis- 
covered that  the  Biyerre  had  fallen  eighteen  inches 
during  our  absence.  We  then  continued  our  journey 
down  to  the  mouth,  and,  rounding  the  low  forest 
point  dividing  the  two  rivers,  we  steamed  up  the 
mightier  Congo. 


134 


THE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

TO  STANLEY  FALLS. 

Predatory  Bahunga — An  odd  means  for  defence — Deserted  villages- 
Enormous  flotilla  of  canoes — Danger  ahead — Kavages  by  the  Arabs 
— "  Cruel  man  has  done  his  worst " — Eemains  of  burnt  villages — A 
shocking  discovery — We  overtake  the  Arab  slave-traders — Medita- 
tions on  retribution — Extent  of  territory  ravaged  by  the  Arabs — 
Their  miserable  captives — A  harrowing  scene — Captives  all  women 
and  children;  their  number — The  cause  of  the  trade — Yangambi— 
The  Chofu  river — The  Wenya  fishermen — Cunning  policy  of  the 
Arabs— Stanley  Falls — Description  of  the  cataracts — The  district 
tribes — Their  mode  of  fishing — A  dangerous  ferry — Drum  signals — 
An  industrious  people— The  fish  of  the  waters — Palavers — Our 
farthest  station  founded — Binnie  is  appointed  chief,  and  left  in 
charge — Homeward  bound. 

1883.  We  have  now,  while  breasting  the  swift  ochreous  flood 
°''23'  of  the  Conor),  a  wider  view  of  river  reach,  and  a  more 

iyerre.  &   '  > 

spacious  breadth  of  stream  than  we  enjoyed  between 
the  banks  of  the  Biyerre.  Denuded  of  its  islets,  the 
Congo  revealed  itself  occasionally,  now  with  a  clear 
view  of  two  and  a  half  miles  of  open  water,  broad 
enough  to  absorb  a  dozen  mighty  tributaries  as  large 
as  the  Biyerre'.  And  yet  we  were,  at  the  confluence 
just  passed,  1266  English  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
021  miles  above  Leopold vi lie, 


FREDA  TOR  Y  BAHUNOA. 


135 


Faithful  to  our  purpose  we  cling  to  the  right  bank,  N188(^ 
which  is  low,  but  grand  for  the  forest  of  massive  Biyerr& 
trees  nourished  by  its  fertile  soil.  We  pass  a  clearing 
which  was  once  a  market-place.  It  is  not  used  now, 
a  change  having  come  over  the  people  of  the  land. 
There  are  rumours  of  predatory  Bahunga  floating 
throughout  the  surrounding  districts,  and  distrust,  fear, 
and  suspicion  lie  heavy  on  men's  souls. 

We  have  discovered  that  we  ourselves  are  not  above 
suspicion .  We  may  not  be  related  to  the  fierce  kid- 
nappers who  roam  about  at  midnight  on  the  wide 
waters  and  pounce  upon  sleeping  aborigines,  but  we 
wear  cloth,  and  we  carry  the  dreadful  hollow  tubes 
which  belch  thunder  and  ruin  to  men.  "  Yes,  go  up 
the  Mburra  [the  Congo]  when  hollow  tubes  spit  fire  at 
one  another — could  we  but  see  it,  it  were  grand 
fun  !  "  So  think  the  natives,  while  we,  utterly  igno- 
rant what  strange  tribe  this  is  equally  matched  with 
ourselves,  keep  pressing  on  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
kidnappers,  in  admirable  bewilderment  as  to  who  they 
may  be. 

At  four  o'clock  we  pass  another  market-place,  and 
think  of  camping,  but  the  people  who  spring  on  shore 
with  the  hawsers  fall  down  and  show  bleeding  feet, 
and  we  discover  that  the  ground  has  been  defended  by 
pins  of  dried  rattan  stuck  all  over  the  surface,  and  we 
are  obliged  to  steam  on  another  hour  until  a  suitable 
place  in  the  thick  forest  has  been  found. 

The  next  day  at  9  a.m.  we  pass  the  well-known 
market-place,  where,  in  1877,  the  vendors  and  buyers 


130 


THE  CONGO. 


iss3.    left  the  profits  and  pleasures  of  marketing  to  attack 

Nov.  24. 

Biyem<  us  in  impetuous  style,  so  little  did  they  expect  that  the 
descending  canoes  contained  men  whose  souls  had  been 
well  tried  in  resisting  such  attacks.  All  of  us  who  had 
been  present  on  that  occasion  rehearsed  the  scene  and 
the  events  which  almost  each  tree  recalled. 

An  hour  later  a  fourth  market-place  was  passed, 
from  which  the  natives  had  been  seen  hastening  away 
to  an  island  or  islands  near  the  left  bank.  The  dis- 
tance was  so  great,  and  so  much  haziness  from  the 
humid  heat  obscured  the  light,  that  we  could  not  well 
discern  the  outline  of  the  opposite  shore. 

The  land  rose  in  beautiful  gentle  hills,  green  w7ith 
the  perpetual  springtime,  and  deeply  wooded  every- 
where, but  bluffy  on  their  river  face.  Here  and 
there  peeped  out  banana  groves,  belonging  to  tiny 
hamlets  occupying  the  limited  clearings.  These  higher 
lands  belong  no  doubt  to  the  bluff-browed  banks  near 
Yambumba  on  the  Biyerre'. 

Looking  across  to  the  islands  which  the  Congo  again 
bears  within  its  bosom  we  fancy  we  see  a  movement  as 
of  paddles — those  bright  mirror-like  flashes  of  water  we 
know  so  well  on  a  calm  day,  and  languidly  tracing  the 
islet  shores  upward,  a  half-formed  suspicion  creeps  into 
our  minds  that  the  shores  themselves  are  widening. 
But,  examining  the  curious  phenomenon  through  a 
binocular,  such  a  number  of  canoes  are  seen  that  they 
create  unpleasant  thoughts  of  imminent  strife.  Sug- 
gestions arise  of  conflicts  with  the  terrible  Bahunga, 
of  running  down  an  entire  flotilla  of  canoes,  plunging 


ENORMOUS  FLOTILLA  OF  CANOES. 


137 


and  sprawling  madly  about  with  marvellous  rapidity  lsas. 
of  action,  while  the  sharp  crack  of  breech-loaders  sound  Biyerre. 
clear  above  the  turmoil.  What  else  could  such  an 
encounter  mean  ?  Our  men  are  all  conscious  that 
there  is  a  large  force  of  people  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, notwithstanding  that  the  right  bank  appears 
silent  and  uninhabited. 

We  cast  off  the  whale-boat,  and  the  En  Avant 
dashes  on  to  obtain  a  clearer  view  of  this  immense 
flotilla.  In  ten  minutes  we  can  trace  a  long  and 
thick  column  of  ascending  canoes,  creeping  along  under 
the  shadows  of  the  overhanging  woods  of  an  island. 
It  may  be  three  miles  in  length ;  it  may  be  less,  it  may 
be  more,  but  its  length  dwarfs  all  that  we  have  ever 
seen  of  flotillas.  I  estimated  the  number  of  canoes  at 
about  a  thousand.  We  steamed  slowly  up,  parallel 
with  the  column,  to  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half. 
I  presumed  that  they  meditated  an  attack,  and  I 
became  lost  in  conjectures  as  to  the  result  of  a 
determined  charge  of  such  a  vast  force.  If  there  were 
an  average  of  five  to  each  canoe  that  would  give  a 
number  of  5000  ;  enough  to  overwhelm  us,  even  if  they 
came  to  the  attack  with  naked  hands. 

Discretion  is  wise  in  such  circumstances  as  environed 
us.  We  had  no  quarrel  with  any  people,  not  even 
with  the  Bahunga,  and  our  mission  could  not  be 
prefaced  by  seeking  opportunities  for  warfare.  Argu- 
ing thus  the  En  Avant  returned  to  her  consorts, 
picked  up  her  boat,  and  the  steam  flotilla  held  on 
its  way. 


138 


THE  CONGO. 


1883        At  4.30  a  rain-storm  halted  us0    This  was  the  usual 

>.ov.  24-. 

Maucmbc.  ending  to  such  a  hazy  sultry  day,  and  was  generally 
accompanied  by  vivid  lightning,  and  loud  thunder 
shocks.  We  had  a  comfortable  camp,  however,  on  a 
cosy  islet,  well  protected  from  the  tempest  that  endured 
the  whole  night. 

The  next  morning  (the  25th)  we  continued  our 
journey.  Two  hours  later  we  saw  a  break  in  the  solid 
wall  of  forest  trees  along  which  we  had  travelled,  and 
I  remembered  its  position  very  clearly.  On  my  old 
map  it  is  marked  "  Mawembe,"  and  was  strongly 
palisaded  ;  but  now,  though  I  looked  closely  through 
ray  glass,  I  could  detect  no  sign  of  palisade  or  hut,  The 
clearing  was  there,  it  was  true,  the  site  of  the  palisaded 
village  was  also  there,  and  notwithstanding  its  empti- 
ness it  was  recognised.  As  we  advanced  we  could  see 
poor  remnants  of  banana  groves ;  we  could  also  trace 
the  whitened  paths  from  the  river's  edge  leading  up 
the  steep  bank,  but  not  a  house  nor  a  living  thing 
could  be  seen  anywhere.  The  exact  extent,  position, 
and  nature  of  the  village  site  was  unchanged,  but  the 
close,  bristling  palisade,  and  the  cones  of  fowl-huts, 
and  the  low  ridge-roofed  huts  just  visible  above  it — all 
had  vanished. 

When  we  came  abreast  of  the  locality,  we  perceived 
that  there  had  been  a  late  fire.  The  heat  had  scorched 
the  foliage  of  the  tallest  trees,  and  their  silver  stems 
had  been  browned  by  it.  The  banana  plants  looked 
meagre  ;  their  ragged  fronds  waved  mournfully  their 
tatters,  as  if  imploring  pity.    We  slackened  the  speed 


TRACES  OF  RAPINE. 


139 


of  the  engines,  to  contemplate  the  scene  and  reflect  1883. 

Nov.  25. 

upon  its  meaning.  Mawemw 

Six  years  before  we  had  rushed  by  this  very  place 
without  stopping,  endeavouring  by  our  haste  to  thwart 
the  intentions  of  our  foes — if  foes  they  meant  to  be — 
since  which  time  the  history  of  this  land  had  been  a 
blank  to  us.  Surely  there  had  been  a  great  change  ! 
As  we  moved  up  the  stream  slowly,  another  singular 
sight  attracted  our  gaze.  This  was  two  or  three  long 
canoes  standing  on  their  ends,  like  split  hollow  columns, 
upright  on  the  verge  of  the  bank.  AY  hat  freak  was 
this,  and  what  did  the  sight  signify  ?  Had  one  of 
these  canoes  been  weighed,  it  is  certain  it  could  not 
have  been  less  than  a  ton.  To  have  tilted  and  raised 
such  a  weight  argued  numbers  and  union.  It  could 
never  have  been  the  work  of  a  herd  of  chattering 
savages.  As  they  stand,  they  are  a  tacit  revelation 
of  the  effect  of  energy  and  cohesion ;  they  signify  a 
union  of  men — and  union  is  force!  They  are  Arabs 
who  have  performed  this  feat  of  strength,  and  these 
upright  columnar  canoes  betray  the  advent  of  the  slave- 
traders  in  the  region  below  the  Falls !  We  learned 
later  that  on  this  now  desolate  spot  once  stood  the 
town  of  Yomburri. 

A  few  miles  higher  up  on  the  same  bank  we 
came  abreast  of  another  scene  of  desolation,  where  a 
whole  town  had  been  burnt,  the  palms  cut  down, 
bananas  scorched,  many  acres  laid  level  with  the 
ground,  and  the  freak  of  standing  canoes  on  end 
repeated.    In  front  of  the  black  ruin  there  were  a 


uo 


THE  CONGO. 


1883  couple  of  hundred  people  crouched  down  on  the 
mburri.  verge  °f  the  bank,  looking  Avofully  forlorn  and  cheer- 
less, some  with  their  hands  supporting  their  chins, 
regarding  us  with  a  stupid  indifference,  as  though 
they  were  beyond  further  harm,  while  all  seemed  to 
say  by  their  attitude,  "  Cruel  man  has  done  his  worst. 
Having  lost  all,  we  are  beyond  your  spite,  and  greater 
wretchedness  than  that  which  we  are  now  in  is  impos- 
sible.   How  can  it  profit  you  to  harm  us  ?  " 

Our  guide,  Yumbila,  was  told  to  question  them  as  to 
what  was  the  cause  of  this  dismal  scene,  and  one  old 
man  stood  out  and  poured  forth  his  tale  of  grief  and 
woe  with  an  exceeding  volubility.  He  told  of  a  sudden 
and  unexpected  invasion  of  their  village,  by  a  host  of 
leaping,  yelling  men,  in  the  darkness,  who  dinned 
their  ears  with  murderous  fusilades,  slaughtering 
their  people 'as  they  sprang  out  of  their  burning  huts 
into  the  light  of  the  flames.  Not  a  third  of  the  men 
had  escaped  ;  the  larger  number  of  the  wcmen  and 
children  had  been  captured  and  taken  away,  they  knew 
not  whither. 

"  And  where  are  these  people  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  They  are  gone  up-river,  about  eight  days  ago." 

"  And  have  these  people  burnt  up  all  the  villages  ?  " 

"  All ;  everywhere,  on  both  sides  of  the  river." 

"  What  are  they  like,  these  strange  people  ?  " 

"  They  are  like  your  people  in  your  boats,  and  wear 
white  clothes." 

"  Ah  !    And  who  are  all  those  people  we  saw  yester- 
day in  hundreds  of  canoes  near  the  islands  ?  " 


BURNT  VILLAGES. 


141 


"The}'  are  our  people,  from  our  side  and  from  the 
other,  who  have  gathered  together  for  protection.  At  Yombun 
night  they  go  to  their  fields  to  get  food,  but  in  the 
daytime  they  live  on  the  islands,  with  their  canoes 
ready,  lest  the  wicked  and  fierce  people  come  back. 
But  go  away,  go  away ;  strangers  are  all  bad. 
Go  to  them  if  you  want  ivory ;  go  and  fight 
them.  We  have  nothing — nothing."  And  the  old 
man's  gesture,  with  open  palms,  was  painfully  ex- 
pressive. 

We  continued  on  our  journey,  advancing  as  rapidly 
as  our  steamers  could  breast  the  stream.  Every  three 
or  four  miles  we  came  in  sight  of  the  black  traces  of 
the  destroyers.  The  charred  stakes,  upright  canoes, 
poles  of  once  populous  settlements,  scorched  banana 
groves,  and  prostrate  palms,  all  betokened  ruthless 
ruin. 

At  4  P.M.  we  halted  at  a  camp  in  a  plain  just  above 
the  devastated  site  of  Yavunga.  We  had  passed,  since 
leaving  the  Biyerre,  twelve  villages  utterly  consumed 
by  fire.  In  these  eight  separate  communities  had 
existed. 

Opposite  Yavunga,  on  the  left  bank,  is  the  district 
of  Yaporo.  Surveying  the  scene  through  the  bino- 
cular glass  we  could  assure  ourselves  that  the  tale  of 
the  old  man  was  not  exaggerated.  Not  one  house 
was  visible,  although  the  extensive  clearing  indicated 
that  Yaporo  had  been  populous.  This  would  have  been 
evident  even  had  I  not  remembered,  by  the  peculiar 
red  clay  banks,  which  is  such  a  feature  of  it,  that  I 


142 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    had  seen  a  large  and  long-extended  town  here.  Just 

Nov.  27. 

Vomburri.  above,  I  also  remembered,  we  had  had  a  tough  fight 
with  the  people,  who  had  cried  "  Ya  Mariwa "  as 
they  charged  on  ns,  and  there  was  the  Tugarambusa 
ridge,  its  outlines  not  to  be  mistaken. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  November  we  were 
delayed  by  a  scantiness  of  fuel,  due  to  the  extent  of  the 
clearing,  so  that  departure  was  not  possible  until  after 
7  o'clock.  A  mile  above  our  camp  we  detected  some 
object,  of  a  slaty  colour,  floating  down  stream.  The 
En  Avant  steamed  towards  it,  and  the  man  with  the 
sounding-pole  at  the  bow,  on  arriving  near  it,  turned 
it  over  with  a  boat-hook.  We  were  shocked  to  discover 
the  bodies  of  two  women  bound  together  with  cord  ! 
This  tragedy,  by  the  appearance  of  the  bodies,  must 
have  occurred  about  twelve  hours  previously. 

Wondering  what  could  have  caused  the  committal  of 
such  a  crime,  we  continued  to  follow  the  shore,  where 
the  current  was  slack,  until  we  came  to  the  upper  end 
of  the  crescent  bend,  which  is  above  Yavunga.  At 
the  close  of  an  hour  we  wTere  rounding  the  point, 
when  looking  up  river  hastily,  we  saw  a  white  mass 
fronting  the  landing-place  of  a  village.  I  caught  up 
my  glass  and  examined  it.  Others  appeared  in  a 
group,  as  we  edged  towards  the  centre  of  the  stream. 
They  were  tents ;  the  Arabs  of  Nyangwe  had  been 
overtaken ! 

They  were  evidently  in  force,  for  their  camp,  or 
village,  was  evidently  large  enough  for  a  great  number, 
and  a  rough  palisade  seemed  to  surround  it.  We 


OVERTAKING  THE  ARABS. 


143 


formed  ourselves  in  line  and  advanced  np-river.    As  1883. 

Nov.  27. 

ive  drew  near  [  observed  through  the  telescope  that  yomburn. 
our  presence  excited  a  commotion  on  the  banks,  which 
became  lined  with  a  multitude  of  men  in  white  dress 
who  acted  as  if  flurried.  I  also  saw  a  large  number  of 
canoes  fastened  to  the  landing-place,  which  revealed  at 
once  the  secret  of  these  sudden  midnight  surprisals. 
These  people  had  in  some  manner  descended  the  river 
from  Nyangwe  past  the  Falls, 

I  felt  conscious  for  a  short  period  of  an  internal 
struggle  against  an  impulse,  which  was  almost  over- 
powering, to  avenge  these  devastations  and  massacres 
of  sleeping  people.  The  picture  of  those  houseless 
people  of  Yomburri,  the  eloquent  but  most  pitiful 
tale  of  the  old  man,  the  corpses  of  the  two  women 
bound  together,  which  seemed  to  suggest  a  cold-blooded 
deliberate  murder — all  appealed  to  me  for  immediate 
and  complete  vengeance.  And  yet — who  am  I  that  I 
should  take  the  law  into  my  hands  and  mete  out  retri- 
bution ?  The  devilish  deeds  are  already  accomplished 
— the  embers  of  the  burnt  houses  are  cold,  the  blood 
shed  has  long  ago  been  dried.  Then,  again,  came  the 
thought  that  the  captives  were  still  in  bondage;  the 
tears  of  these  are  still  flowing,  their  sorrow  is  even  yet 
fresh.  And  this  naked  land,  raided,  and  devastated  in 
this  cruel  fashion,  of  what  possible  use  would  it  be  when 
emptied  of  its  people  ?  But  it  was  useless  for  me  to 
repeat  to  myself  such  forcible  reasons  for  revenging 
these  wholesale  outrages.  I  had  not  the  slightest  shadow 
of  authority  to  vindicate  the  dictates  of  justice.  I 


144 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    represented  no  constituted  government,  nor  had  I  the 

Nov.  27. 

Vombuni.  shadow  of  authority  to  assume  the  role  of  censor,  judge 
and  executioner.  Both  parties  were  my  friends,  at 
least  I  hoped  so ;  one  party,  being  stronger,  by  force 
and  fraud  has  almost  exterminated  the  other,  but 
without  a  commission  I  may  not  interfere.  Had  I 
appeared  on  the  scene  while  one  of  these  many 
tragedies  was  being  enacted  I  might — so  conta- 
gious is  the  effect  of  strife — have  assisted  the  weaker 
party. 

After  the  usual  discharge  of  blank  cartridges  from 
the  boats,  announcing  an  arrival,  followed  by  re- 
sponsive salvoes  from  the  shore,  a  canoe  put  out 
from  the  bank,  and  hailed  us  in  Swahili,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  oriental  coast,  to  which  we  replied  in 
terras  of  peace. 

We  formed  a  camp  below  them,  and  almost  imme- 
diately after  we  had  secured  our  boats,  our  Zanzibaris 
were  shaking  hands  with  the  Manyema  slaves  of  Abed 
bin  Salim,  who  had  invaded  and  ravaged  the  country 
to  obtain  slaves  and  ivory  for  their  master. 

We  discovered  that  this  horde  of  banditti — for  in 
reality  and  without  disguise  they  were  nothing  else — 
was  under  the  leadership  of  several  chiefs;  but  prin- 
cipally under  Karema  and  Kiburuga.  They  had  started 
sixteen  months  previously  from  Wane-Kirundu,  about 
thirty  miles  below  Yinya  Njara.  For  eleven  months 
the  band  had  been  raiding  successfully  between  the 
Con«*o  and  the  Lubiranzi,  on  the  left  bank.  They 
had  then  undertaken  to  perform  the  same  cruel  work 


THE  AliAB  CAMP. 


145 


between  the  Biycrre'  and  Wane-Kirundu.    On  looking;  188.3. 

...  Nov.  27. 

at  my  map  I  find  that  such  a  territory  within  the  Yombum 
area  described  would  cover  superficially  16,200  square 
geographical  miles  on  the  left  bank,  and  10,500  miles 
on  the  right  bank,  all  of  which  in  statute  mileage 
'would  be  equal  to  34,570  square  miles— just  2000 
square  miles  greater  than  the  island  of  Ireland — 
inhabited  by  about  1,000,000  people. 

The  band  when  it  set  out  from  Kirundu  numbered 
300  fighting  men  armed  with  flint-locks,  double-barreled 
percussion  guns,  and  a  few  breech-loaders ;  their  fol- 
lowers, or  domestic  slaves  and  women,  doubled  this 
force. 

After  spending  the  morning  listening  to  such  of 
their  adventures  as  they  chose  to  relate,  I  was  per- 
mitted in  the  afternoon  to  see  the  human  harvest 
they  had  gathered,  as  many  of  my  people  had  exag- 
gerated the  numbers  of  the  captives  they  had  seen 
in  the  camp. 

Their  quarters  were  about  150  yards  above  the  placa 
we  had  selected.  It  was  surrounded  with  a  fence  made 
of  the  hut  walls  of  the  native  town  of  Yangambi,  which 
lay  without  in  ruins ;  the  square  plats  of  raised  and 
tamped  earth  with  a  few  uprights  alone  indicating 
where  it  stood.  The  banana  groves  had  been  levelled, 
and  their  stalks  employed  to  form  the  fence  around 
about  their  camp. 

Within  the  enclosure  was  a  series  of  low  sheds, 
extending  many  lines  deep  from  the  immediate  edge 
of  the  clay  bank  inland,  100  yards;  in  length  the 
Vol.  II.— 10 


14G 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    camp  was  about  300  yards.     At  the  landing-place 

Nov.  27. 

Yomburri.  below  were  fifty-four  large  canoes,  varying  in  carrying 
capacity.    Each  might  convey  from  10  to  100  people. 

The  first  general  impressions  are  that  the  camp  is 
much  toe  densely  peopled  for  comfort.  There  are  rows 
upon  rows  of  dark  nakedness,  relieved  here  and  there 
by  the  white  dresses  of  the  captors.  There  are  lines  or 
groups  of  naked  forms  upright,  standing,  or  moving 
about  listlessly ;  naked  bodies  are  stretched  under  the 
sheds  in  all  positions ;  naked  legs  innumerable  are 
seen  in  the  perspective  of  prostrate  sleepers ;  there  are 
countless  naked  children,  many  mere  infants,  forms  of 
boyhood  and  girlhood,  and  occasionally  a  drove  of  abso- 
lutely naked  old  women  bending  under  a  basket  of  fuel, 
or  cassava  tubers,  or  bananas,  who  are  driven  through 
the  moving  groups  by  two  or  three  musketeers.  On 
paying  more  attention  to  details,  I  observe  that  mostly 
all  are  fettered  ;  youths  with  iron  rings  around  their 
necks,  through  which  a  chain,  like  one  of  our  boat- 
anchor  chains,  is  rove,  securing  the  captives  by 
twenties.  The  children  over  ten  are  secured  by  three 
copper  rings,  each  ringed  leg  brought  together  by 
the  central  ring,  which  accounts  for  the  apparent 
listlessness  of  movement  I  observed  on  first  coming 
in  presence  of  the  curious  scene.  The  mothers  are 
secured  by  shorter  chains,  around  wdiom  their  re- 
spective progeny  of  infants  are  grouped,  hiding  the 
cruel  iron  links  that  fall  in  loops  or  festoons  over 
their  mammas'  breasts.  There  is  not  one  adult  man- 
captive  amongst  them. 


A  HARROWING  SCENE. 


147 


Besides  the  shaded  ground  strewn  over  so  thickly  1883. 

.  .  .  Nov.  27. 

by  the  prostrate  and  upright  bodies  of  captives,  Yombun- 
the  relics  of  the  many  raids  lie  scattered  or  heaped 
up  in  profusion  everywhere,  and  there  is  scarcely  a 
square  foot  of  ground  not  littered  with  something, 
such  as  drums,  spears,  swords,  assegais,  arrows,  bows, 
knives,  iron-ware  of  native  make  of  every  pattern, 
paddles  innumerable,  scoops  and  balers,  wooden  troughs, 
ivory  horns,  whistles,  buffalo  and  antelope-horns,  ivory 
pestles,  wooden  idols,  beads  of  wood,  berries,  scraps  of 
fetishism,  sorcerers'  wardrobes,  gourds  of  all  sizes, 
nets,  from  the  lengthy  seine  to  the  small  hand-net; 
baskets,  hampers,  shields  as  large  as  doors  (of  wood,  or 
of  plaited  rattan),  crockery,  large  pots  to  hold  eight 
gallons,  down  to  the  child's  basin  ;  wooden  mugs,  basins, 
and  mallets;  grass  cloth  in  shreds,  tatters,  and  pieces; 
broken  canoes,  and  others  half  excavated  ;  native  adzes, 
hatchets,  hammers,  iron  rods,  &c,  ccc.  All  these  lit- 
tering the  ground,  or  in  stacks  and  heaps,  with  piles 
of  banana  and  cassava  peelings,  flour  of  cassava,  and 
sliced  tubers  drying,  make  up  a  number  of  untidy 
pictures  and  details,  through  all  of  which,  however, 
prominently  gleam  the  eyes  of  the  captives,  in  a  state 
of  utter  and  supreme  wretchedness. 

Little  perhaps  as  my  face  betrayed  my  feelings, 
other  pictures  would  crowd  upon  the  imagination ;  and 
after  realising  the  extent  and  depth  of  the  misery  pre- 
sented to  me,  I  walked  about  as  in  a  kind  of  dream, 
wherein  I  saw  through  the  darkness  of  the  night  the 
stealthy  forms  of  the  murderers  creeping  towards  the 


148 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    doomed  town,  its  inmates  all  asleep,  and  no  sounds 

Nor.  27.  1 

Vomburri.  issuing  from  the  gloom  but  the  drowsy  hum  of  chirp- 
ing cicadas  or  distant  frogs — when  suddenly  flash  the 
light  of  brandished  torches ;  the  sleeping  town  is  in- 
volved in  flames,  while  volleys  of  musketry  lay  low 
the  frightened  and  astonished  people,  sending  many 
through  a  short  minute  of  agony  to  that  soundless 
sleep  from  which  there  will  be  no  waking.  I  wished 
to  be  alone  somewhere  where  I  could  reflect  upon 
the  doom  which  has  overtaken  Bandu,  Yomburri, 
Yangambi,  Yaporo,  Yakusu,  Ukanga,  Yakonde,  Ituka, 
Yaryembi,  Yaruche,  populous  Isangi,  and  probably 
thirty  scores  of  other  villages  and  towns. 

The  slave-traders  admit  they  have  only  2300  captives 
in  this  fold,  yet  they  have  raided  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  a  country  larger  than  Ireland,  bearing 
fire  and  spreading  carnage  with  lead  and  iron.  Both 
banks  of  the  river  show  that  118  villages,  and  forty- 
three  districts  have  been  devastated,  out  of  which  is 
only  educed  this  scant  profit  of  2300  females  and 
children,  and  about  2000  tusks  of  ivory!  The  spears, 
swords,  bows,  and  the  quivers  of  arrows,  show  that 
many  adults  have  fallen.  Given  that  these  118  vil- 
lages were  peopled  only  by  1000  each,  we  have  only 
a  profit  of  2  per  cent. ;  and  by  the  time  all  these 
captives  have  been  subjected  to  the  accidents  of  the 
river  voyage  to  Kirundu  and  Nyangwe,  of  camp  life 
and  its  harsh  miseries,  to  the  havoc  of  small- pox,  and 
the  pests  which  miseries  breed,  there  will  only  remain 
a  scant  1  per  cent,  upon  the  bloody  venture. 


SLAVE  TRADING. 


They  tell  me,  however,  that  the  convoys  already  1883. 

...         Hov.  27. 

arrived  at  Nyangwe  with  slaves  captured  in  the  interior  y0mimrrL 
have  been  as  great  as  their  present  band.  Five  ex- 
peditions have  come  and  gone  with  their  booty  of 
ivory  and  slaves,  and  these  five  expeditions  have  now 
completely  weeded  the  large  territory  described  above. 
If  each  expedition  has  been  as  successful  as  this, 
the  slave-traders  have  been  enabled  to  obtain  5000 
women  and  children  safe  to  Nyangwe,  Kirundu,  and 
Vibondo,  above  the  Stanley  Falls,  Thus  5000  out  of 
an  assumed  million  will  be  at  the  rate  of  a-half  per 
cent.,  or  five  slaves  out  of  1000  people. 

This  is  poor  profit,  out  of  such  large  waste  of  life,  for 
originally  we  assume  the  slaves  to  have  mustered  about 
10,000  in  number.  To  obtain  the  2300  slaves  out  of 
the  118  villages,  they  must  have  shot  a  round  number 
of  2500  people,  while  1300  more  died  by  the  wayside, 
through  scant  provisions  and  the  intensity  of  their 
hopeless  wretchedness.  How  many  are  wounded  and 
die  in  the  forest,  or  droop  to  death  through  an  over- 
whelming sense  of  their  calamities,  we  do  not  know, 
but  if  the  above  figures  are  trustworthy,  then  the  out- 
come from  the  territory  with  its  million  of  souls  is 
5000  slaves,  obtained  at  the  cruel  expense  of  33,000 
lives !  And  such  slaves  !  They  are  females,  or  young 
children  who  cannot  run  away,  or  who  with  youthful 
indifference  will  soon  forget  the  terrors  of  their  cap- 
ture !  Yet  each  of  the  very  smallest  infants  has  cost 
the  life  of  a  father  and  perhaps  his  three  stout  brothers 
and  three  grown-up  daughters.    An  entire  family  of 


150 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    six  souls  have  been  done  to  death  to  obtain  that  small, 

Nov.  27. 

Yomburri.  feeble,  useless  child ! 

These  are  my  thoughts  as  I  look  upon  the  horrible 
scene.  Every  second  during  which  I  regard  them  the 
clink  of  fetters  and  chains  strikes  upon  my  ears.  My 
eyes  catch  sight  of  that  continual  lifting  of  the  hand  to 
ease  the  neck  in  the  collar,  or  as  it  displays  a  manacle 
exposed  through  a  muscle  being  irritated  by  its  weight, 
or  want  of  fitness.  My  nerves  are  offended  with  the 
rancid  effluvium  of  the  unwashed  herds  within  this 
human  kennel.  The  smell  of  other  abominations  annoy 
me  in  that  vitiated  atmosphere.  For  how  could  poor 
people,  bound  and  riveted  together  by  twenties,  do 
otherwise  than  wallow  in  filth !  Only  the  old  women 
are  taken  out  to  forage  ;  they  dig  out  the  cassava 
tuber,  and  search  for  the  banana,  while  the  guard, 
with  musket  ready,  keenly  watches  for  the  coming  of 
the  vengeful  native.  Not  much  food  can  be  procured 
in  this  manner,  and  w7hat  is  obtained  is  flung  down  in 
a  heap  before  each  gang,  to  at  once  cause  an  unseemly 
scramble.  Many  of  these  poor  things  have  been  already 
months  fettered  in  this  manner,  and  their  bones  stand 
out  in  bold  relief  in  the  attenuated  skin,  wmich  hangs 
down  in  thin  wrinkles  and  puckers.  And  yet,  who 
can  withstand  the  feeling  of  pity  so  powerfully  pleaded 
for  by  those  large  eyes  and  sunken  cheeks? 

What  was  the  cause  of  all  this  vast  sacrifice  of 
human  life,  of  all  this  unspeakable  misery  ?  Nothing, 
but  the  indulgence  of  an  old  Arab's  "  wolfish,  bloody, 
starved,  and  ravenous  instincts."    He  wished  to  ob- 


THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  SLAVE  TRADE. 


151 


tain  blaves  to  barter  profitably  away  to  other  Arabs,  N1S832- 
and  having  weapons — guns  and  gunpowder — enough,  Yombun-L 
he  placed  them  in  the  hands  of  three  hundred  slaves, 
and  despatched  them  to  commit  murder  wholesale,  just 
as  an  English  nobleman  would  put  guns  in  the  hands 
of  his  guests,  and  permit  them  to  slaughter  the  game 
upon  his  estate.  If  we  calculate  three  quarts  of  blood 
to  each  person  who  fell  during  the  campaign  of  murder, 
we  find  that  this  one  Arab  caused  to  be  shed  2850 
gallons  of  human  blood,  sufficient  to  fill  a  tank  measure- 
ment of  460  cubic  feet,  quite  large  enough  to  have 
drowned  him  and  all  his  kin  ! 

I  now  understood  why  the  Basoko  of  the  Biyerre' 
were  so  gleeful  when  they  heard  we  were  about  to  ascend 
the  Congo.  Their  talk  about  the  Bahunga  was  that 
of  people  bewildered  by  the  suddenness  of  the  attack 
upon  them,  who  seized  upon  the  first  name  uttered  to 
them.  They  hoped,  of  course,  that  we  would  mutually 
destroy  one  another,  and  thus  they  would  be  relieved 
from  their  fears. 

We  exchanged  gifts  with  Karema  and  his  blood- 
stained confederates.  We  also  obtained  guides  from 
them  to  speak  for  us  to  the  people  at  the  Falls,  and 
being  in  a  hurry  to  leave  such  dreadful  scenes,  we 
departed  next  morning,  the  28th,  for  the  cataract. 

Yangambi,  which  we  said  was  occupied  by  the  Arab 
slave-traders,  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  level  terrace, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Tugurambusa  ridge,  which  runs 
parallel  with  the  Congo  for  a  length  of  eight  miles. 
The  summits  of  the  ridge,  which  are  at  an  altitude  of 


152 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    perhaps  two  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  appear  to 

Nov.  28. 

Yangambi.  offer  a  charming  field  for  European  agriculturists.  The 
slopes  are  delightfully  fresh  and  green,  and  where  the 
red  bluffs  rise,  thev  are  overhung  bv  verdant  masses 
of  shrubbery.  The  left  bank  opposite  is  a  flat  and 
level  land,  with  far  extended  clearings ;  it  is  a  land 
for  sugar  cane,  cotton,  rice,  maize,  and  millet.  The 
right  bank  above  the  ridge  is  a  land  for  wheat,  being 
at  a  dry  and  healthy  altitude. 

A  few  miles  above  the  red  sandstone  cliffs  of  Tugar- 
ambusa  are  Itukn,  Yaruche,  and  Yaryembi,  or  rather 
wrere,  for  at  this  time  mere  relics  of  settlements  were 
shown.  And  yet  I  remember  well  their  rampant 
multitudes  on  the  banks  and  in  the  canoe  flotillas 
worrying  our  force  in  1877  with  the  courage  of  yelping 
terriers.  Both  banks  were  now  empty  of  their  peoples, 
they  were  abandoned  to  the  silence  of  absolute  solitude. 

Soon  after  rounding  the  point  of  Yaryembi,  we 
view  before  us  a  straight  twelve-mile  reach.  On  the 
right  bank  there  are  three  abandoned  settlements,  and 
on  the  left  there  are  five,  mere  empty  clearings.  The 
river  varies  from  800  to  1600  yards  wide,  with  a  strong 
but  steady  current.  The  banks  are  nearly  uniform, 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet  high,  woods  alternating  with 
open  sites  of  towns. 

Yarukombe'  on  the  right,  and  a  similar  town  of  the 
same  name  on  the  left,  stood  once  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  reach. 

On  the  30th  of  November  our  course  from  8  a.m.  to 
1  p.m.  was  along  the  right  bank  in  a  channel  caused 


THE  CHOFU  RIVE1L 


153 


by  the  large  and  fertile  island  called  Busanga,  winch  1883. 

iiT  -11  -i  r     i        Nov.  30. 

I  remember  to  have  been  occupied  by  a  tribe  of  the  Busanga. 
Yakusu.  Now,  however,  not  one  hut  is  seen.  Even 
the  clearings  where  the  huts  stood  can  scarcelv  be 
found.  All  the  villages  on  the  mainland  have  been 
utterly  destroyed,  and  there  is  not  one  native  of  a 
powerful  tribe  to  tell  the  tale  of  the  massacres. 

At  2  p.m.  Ave  arrived  at  the  twin-mouthed  river 
Chofu,  each  channel  having  a  breadth  of  about  200 
yards,  divided  by  an  island  whose  base  line  is  three 
miles  long. 

My  guide,  who  has  been  up  the  river  marauding, 
states  that  it  is  navigable  for  about  twenty-five  miles, 
when  a  confluence  of  two  branches  is  seen,  both  in- 
terrupted by  rapids.  The  left  branch  is  called  the 
Lukebu  ;  the  right  branch  being  the  Lindi.  The 
Wenya  procure  their  large  canoes  from  this  river  in 
exchange  for  heaps  of  cured  fish. 

It  rained  abundantly  on  the  evening  of  the  30th,  but 
about  8  a.m.  on  the  1st  of  December  the  skies  cleared, 
and  we  were  enabled  to  continue  our  voyage. 

We  steamed  up  for  about  four  miles  along  the  right 
bank,  when  we  struck  across  the  river  to  the  left  bank, 
barely  avoiding  a  small  rapid.  We  held  on  until  noon, 
when  we  were  abreast  of  a  small  island  in  N.  Lat.  0°  30'. 
We  were  advised  to  cling  close  to  the  left  bank  as  far 
as  the  point  nearest  the  Falls,  to  avoid  frightening 
the  people  with  the  sight  of  such  a  flotilla.  Arriving 
below  this  point,  we  detache  1  the  whale-boat,  and  sent 
it  up  with  the  guide  and  one  of  my  servants  to  speak 


154 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    to  the  natives.  By  tin's  method  we  succeeded  in  getting 

Dec.  1. 

Stanley  touch  of  the  Wenya  fishermen,  who  sent  down  a  few 
talls*    men  in  two  canoes  to  speak  to  us.    An  hour's  conver- 
sation ended  with  an  invitation  to  us  to  approach  their 
village. 

Steaming  round  the  point,  the  lower  rapids  of  the 
Falls  came  into  view.  We  were  unable  to  contend 
against  the  current.  We  therefore  tied  up  alongside 
of  the  left  bank,  two  miles  below  the  village,  until  we 
could  come  to  an  understanding  with  the  assembled 
WTenya  chiefs  respecting  a  settlement. 

With  cunning  policy  the  Arabs  in  their  descent  of 
the  Falls,  left  the  Wenya  in  undisturbed  possession  of 
their  islands.  Even  since  1878,  after  the  return  of 
Tipper  Tib  to  Nyangwe  from  escorting  me  to  Vinya 
Njara,  they  made  their  approaches  slowly  towards  the 
Falls.  Thus  they  had  obtained  access  to  a  large  island 
between  the  Falls,  from  which,  by  dint  of  the  exhibition 
of  power  coupled  with  an  affectation  of  leniency — 
even  friendship — towards  those  who  were  willing  to 
submit  to  their  impositions,  they  had  succeeded  in  at 
last  securing  the  co-operation  of  the  Wenya  fishermen. 
By  this  means  they  could  descend  from  Nyangwe  to 
the  Upper  Falls,  and  surrendering  their  canoes  into 
the  hands  of  the  Baswa  tribe,  they  could  march  over- 
land to  Asama  Creek,  while  the  Baswa  fishermen, 
through  their  intimate  knowledge  of  the  channels, 
floated  the  canoes  safely  down.  Thence  embarking, 
the  Arabs  descended  from  the  fifth  cataract  to  the  sixth, 
while  the  Wane  Rukura  fishermen  floated  the  canoes 


WENYA  FISHERMEN. 


155 


safely  past  their  cataract.  Here  the  Arabs  might  ^883. 
safely  embark  for  the  seventh  cataract  of  the  Stanley 

Stanley 

Falls,  whereat  the  Wenya  fishermen  stood  ready  to 
navigate  them  safely  through  the  channels  to  the  head 
of  the  navigation  leading  to  the  Stanley  Pool.  On 
their  return  with  their  forcibly  acquired  booty,  a  few 
slaves  which  they  were  glad  to  be  rid  of  sufficed  to 
pay  the  Wenya,  Wane  Eukura,  and  Baswa  tribes  for 
their  trouble  of  passing  their  flotilla  up  in  safety  to 
the  quiet  river  leading  to  Nyangwe. 

Stanley  Falls  consists  of  seven  distinct  cataracts 
extended  along  a  curving  stretch  of  fifty-six  statute 
miles  in  length. 

At  N.  Lat.  0°  28'  30",  E.  Long.  25°  24',  we  find  the 
.  seventh  cataract,  which,  with  its  smaller  rapids,  inter- 
rupts navigation  for  two  miles.  Above  this  fall  there 
is  a  navigable  stretch  of  twenty-six  miles,  whence  the 
sixth  cataract  is  reached.  This  latter  cataract,  on  the 
left  side,  presents  an  absolutely  impassable  fall  ;  but 
on  the  right  it  partakes  of  the  character  of  rapids,  which 
at  certain  times  of  the  year  would  offer  few  more 
difficulties  that  vigorous  rowing  would  not  surmount. 
From  the  sixth  to  the  fifth  cataract  is  another  twenty- 
two  mile  stretch  of  easily  navigable  water  with  a 
gentle  current.  The  fifth,  fourth,  third,  second,  and 
first  cataracts,  are  so  close  together  that  we  only 
reckon  them  by  the  number  of  distinct  waterfalls. 
Nine  miles'  journey  overland  will  enable  us  to  pass 
them  all.  But  judging  from  the  number  of  times  that 
the  Baswa  tribe  have  passed  Arab  canoe  flotillas  down- 


156 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    wards  and  upwards  in  safety,  it  is  evident  that  there 

Dec.  1. 

Stanley  are  channels  on  the  right  bank  which  render  the 
passage  feasible  and  even  free  of  danger.  They  are 
likely  to  be  of  the  nature  of  Nile  rapids  on  the  right 
side ;  but  on  the  extreme  left  the  cataracts  are  de- 
cidedly impassable. 

At  the  seventh  cataract  there  are  four  channels. 
Beginning  from  the  right  bank  there  is  a  fordable 
channel  about  thirty  yards  wide,  which,  at  low  water, 
is  the  leakage  between  a  ridge  of  loose  rocks  forming 
a  dam-like  barrier  at  the  upper  end.  The  channel  runs 
for  three  miles  between  the  right  bank  inhabited  by  the 
Bakumu,  and  an  island  occupied  by  the  Wenya  tribe 
called  Wane  Rusari,  or  sons  of  Rusari.  Beyond  the 
island,  which  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad,  is  the  main 
right  branch  of  the  cataract,  about  500  yards  wide, 
which  is  separated  from  the  main  left  branch,  300  yards 
wide,  by  a  rocky  islet  occupying  the  centre.  Below 
the  foot  of  the  falls  of  the  main  left  channel  is  a 
rocky  isle  inhabited  by  the  Wane'  Mikunga  tribe  of 
the  Wenya,  separated  from  the  mainland  on  the  left 
bank  by  a  rough  channel  about  twenty  yards  wide. 
From  the  right  to  the  left  bank  at  the  cataract  the 
width,  across  islands  and  water,  is  about  1330  yards. 
Between  the  two  inhabited  islands,  Wane  Rusari  and 
Wane'  Mikunga,  the  two  main  channels  unite  their 
waters,  and  rush  with  inconceivable  rapidity  through  a 
narrowed  channel  of  perhaps  450  yards,  to  be  diffused 
below  over  low  reefs  and  rocky  hollows  covering  a 
breadth  of  1200  vnrds.    Two  miles  below  the  island 


CURIOUS  METHOD  OF  FISHING. 


157 


of  Wane  Mikunga  navigation  is  interrupted  by  rock  ish 
shoals  and  little  rapids.    On  the  right  navigation  may  Stanley 
be  continued  either  up  the  creek  between  Wane  Eusari 
and  the  mainland  for  a  mile  higher,  or  up  the  main 
river  to  a  point  nearly  opposite  the  lower  end  of  Wane 
Mikunga. 

About  a  thousand  yards  above  the  cataract  begins 
the  islands  occupied  by  the  tribe  of  Wane  Sironga, 
commanded  by  the  chiefs  Lumami  and  Yanzi. 

The  three  tribes  number  about  4000  people — 1500 
on  the  isle  of  Wane  Eusari  ;  1000  at  Wane  Mikunga  ; 
and  1500  on  the  islands  of  Wane  Sironga.  At  the  present 
time  they  are  rapidly  on  the  increase,  receiving  acces- 
sions to  their  numbers  from  the  persecuted  Yakusu. 

These  people  are  all  devoted  to  fishing.  The  two 
main  channels  are  almost  bridged  at  the  Falls.  At 
very  low  water  they  plant  poles  between  the  rocks, 
and  by  lashing  cross  poles,  and  propping  up  the  up- 
rights, they  have  secured  access  towards  the  centre 
of  the  raging  waters.  With  cables  of  rattan  they  lash 
their  baskets  into  which  the  fish  are  swept,  and  each 
day  these  are  visited  by  the  daring  fishermen.  The 
little  island  in  the  centre  is  reached  in  large  broad 
canoes  cut  out  of  the  cottonwood  from  below.  It  is 
an  exciting  sight  to  see  forty  stout  fellows  paddle  one 
of  these  through  the  waves,  heedless  of  the  boiling  and 
dangerous  waters.  They  advance  along  the  left  bank, 
and  then  by  desperate  strokes  they  edge  diagonally 
across  the  stream ;  the  water  above  the  fall  being 
level  with  their  heads.    Thev  miss  the  island  as  often 


158 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    as  they  reach  it.    If  they  are  unsuccessful,  they  are 

Dec.  1. 

staniov  swept  down  the  united  channel,  which  is  a' stretch  of 

Falls." 

roaring  water,  at  "  express "  speed,  to  try  again  the 
dangerous  course.  But  if  they  can  only  succeed  in  hold- 
ing their  own,  by  dint  of  united  straining  and  tearing 
at  the  water,  they  will  touch  the  lee  of  the  island,  and 
a  few  more  rapid  strokes  will  bring  them  to  the  shore 
and  to  their  nets.  If  the  nets  are  full,  the  fishermen 
send  up  a  loud  wailing  shout,  which  is  gladly  echoed  by 
the  people  on  the  isles,  who  have  gathered  each  day 
to  watch  the  daring  venture.  Disasters  are  frequent; 
the  most  common  being  when  the  canoe  has  been 
badly  steered,  and  presenting  too  much  beam  to  the 
current,  it  is  soon  capsized  among  the  leaping  and 
rolling  waves.  The  people  for  whose  profit  they  labour, 
their  relatives,  and  their  comrades,  who  have  been 
regarding  them  from  the  rocks  then  with  united  voices 
wTarn  all  the  isles  with  the  news  of  the  disaster,  and 
dozens  of  canoes  shoot  from  either  side  to  the  rescue. 

They  think  nothing  of  crossing  the  raging  waters 
between  the  islands  from  Wane  Mikunga  to  Wane 
Rusari.  The  feat  is  performed  every  few  minutes  by 
men,  women,  and  children.  Such  a  ferry  was  never 
seen.  From  a  little  distance  off  the  river,  so  rapid  is 
the  movement,  so  steep  the  slope,  that  one  might  say 
that  the  voyagers  were  skating  down  an  ice-covered 
hill. 

The  islanders  have  not  yet  adopted  electric  signals, 
but  possess,  however,  a  system  of  communication  quite 
as  effective.     Their  huge  drums,  by  being  struck  in 


A  DANGEROUS  FE11RY. 


159 


different  parts,  convey  language  as  clear  to  the  initiated  i883. 

Dec.  1. 

as  vocal  speech  ;  and  all  the  isles  and  every  soul  on  stanley 
them  is  told  what  transpires  on  each  island  hourly. 

In  appearance  the  Wenya,  Yakusu,  and  Bakumu 
hear  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  Basoko,  though  the 
Bakumu  are  slightly  lighter  in  complexion. 

The  Wenya  do  not  cultivate  the  ground.  Their 
wealth  consists  solely  of  fish.  Perhaps  the  average 
daily  catch  may  be  a  thousand  of  from  five  pounds  to 
half  a  cwt.  in  weight,  not  including  the  spoils  taken  by 
the  little  boys  in  the  smaller  channels,  and  at  insignifi- 
cant rapids  below.  Besides  what  is  consumed  daily  as 
meat,  and  what  is  bartered  with  the  Bakumu  for  their 
vegetables,  the  Wenya  have  large  stores  of  smoke-cured 
fish  with  which  they  purchase  women,  child  slaves, 
canoes,  and  weapons  from  the  Yakusu  and  the  tribes 
of  the  Chofu. 

These  fisher  tribes  are,  of  course,  impregnably 
situated  so  far  as  regards  their  security  against  the 
hostility  of  their  neighbours.  The  Yakusu  of  the 
quiet  river  below,  or  the  Bakumu  of  the  mid-cataract 
section,  would  shrink  from  venturing  near  the  isles 
of  the  Wenya,  protected  as  they  are  on  almost  all 
sides  by  the  surrounding  dangerous  waters. 

They  are  an  industrious  and  an  inventive  people.  In 
the  streets  of  their  villages  the  fish  curers  attend  their 
lines  of  curing-platforms;  the  old  men  are  weaving 
purse  nets  and  sieves ;  the  able-bodied  men  are  at 
basket-work  ;  while  others  weave  rattan  hawsers.  The 
women  are  preparing  bread,  grinding  camwood,  sifting 


160 


THE  COS  GO. 


1883.    meal,  pounding  corn,  or  making  crockery.     On  the 

Dee.  1. 

jtanley  waterside  are  the   canoe-wrights   doing   odd  jobs — 
*    '    binding  a  split  bow,  a  split  stern,  or  a  leaky  crack, 
or  perhaps  cutting  out  a  decayed  part  and  preparing 
a  piece  of  plank  to  replace  it. 

These  are  the  people  with  whom  we  proposed  to 
negotiate  for  partnership  in  the  proprietory  rights  over 
the  mainland  and  the  isles  of  the  seventh  cataract. 
With  the  Arabs  for  our  friends,  it  was  clear  there 
would  be  no  dissentients,  since  both  Arabs  and  abori- 
gines perceived  possible  benefits.  Our  settlement  at 
the  Falls  would  enable  the  half-castes  of  Xyangwe  to 
obtain  cloth  to  wear  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  they 
could  obtain  it  from  the  East  Coast,  and  the  same  might 
be  said  of  various  trifles,  such  as  knives,  powder,  beads, 
wire,  broadcloth,  cottons,  tools,  thread  and  needles. 
Medicines  might  be  purchased  from  our  establishment 
at  the  Falls;  while  the  native  chiefs  might,  by  monthly 
subsidies  of  cloth,  receive  considerable  additions  to  their 
hard-earned  wealth,  and  the  tribe  itself  be  rendered 
much  more  presentable  as  cloth-wearing  people  than 
they  are  in  their  unqualified  nudity. 

On  the  2nd  we  cut  a  path  along  the  right  bank 
through  the  jungle,  and  crossed  over  to  the  island  of 
Wane  Mikunga.  The  chiefs  of  the  tribes  were  all  met 
according  to  a  notice  which  had  been  given.  They 
first  of  all  gave  us  a  large  present  of  bearded 
Silurus,  catfish,  and  a  species  of  the  pike.  Among 
the  pile  there  was  the  well-known  scaleless  Singa 
of  the   Tanganika,   and  scale  fish  of  the    size  of 


A   VIOLENT  CONFERENCE.  161 
mackerel,  which  Ave  found  to  be  afterwards  wholesome  1S83. 

Dec.  2. 

and  sweet.  Wane 
Our  palaver  was  then  opened.  In  brief,  we  asked  to  Mlkunsf 
be  allowed  to  stav  with  them  and  build  a  town,  and  to 
live  in  peace  with  them  as  their  friends  and  protectors. 
This  exposition  of  our  purpose  elicited  a  lively  response. 
A  speaker  stood  up,  and  listening  to  the  words  in 
short  sentences  from  our  guides,  he  seemed  to  be 
mechanically  repeating  them,  while  the  others  main- 
tained a  j^rofound  silence  until  the  speaker  ended, 
when  all  at  once  a  furious  hubbub  commenced.  One 
might  have  imagined  they  were  about  to  fling  them- 
selves upon  one  another,  so  violent  were  they  in 
gesture,  and  so  rapid  and  voluble  in  speech.  This 
fury  subsiding,  one  after  another  got  up  and  expounded 
his  views  on  the  matter.  If  he  spoke  well  and  to 
the  point,  they  who  considered  his  words  pertinent 
and  sensible  got  up  and  arranged  his  grass-cloth  that 
covered  his  rear  parts  ;  those  who  dissented  poured 
forth  a  torrent  of  what  we  supposed  were  vituperations. 
This  continued  until  they  exhausted  themselves,  wdien 
the  palaver  was  adjourned  until  the  next  day  at  the 
same  hour. 

Late  in  the  day  a  messenger  from  the  guide  came 
to  inform  me  that  it  was  very  likely  an  agreement 
would  be  arrived  at  the  next  day,  and  that  I  might 
prepare  the  goods  and  have  them  ready.  They  con- 
sisted of  beads,  knives,  mirrors,  cloth,  wire,  &c. 

On  the  3rd  there  were  some  more  violent  language 
and  furious  colloquial  torrents,  which  gradually  sub- 
sided into  decent  and  tranquil  manners.  A  price  was 
Vol.  II.— 11 


1G2 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  agreed  upon,  by  which  full  lordship  over  the  isles  and 
win!  tne  'e^fc  mainland  was  ceded,  with  proprietory  rights 
jusan.  ajj  unoccupied  territory.  As  the  lands  were  common 
property  belonging  to  the  tribe,  over  £160  worth  of 
goods  were  placed  upon  the  ground  to  be  distributed 
by  the  chiefs  themselves,  according  to  rank  and  power, 
which  I  need  not  say  occasioned  many  bursts  of  wordy 
violence. 

Meantime,  in  the  intervals  of  these  palavers,  I  had 
explored,  in  the  whale-boat,  both  shores,  and  my  choice 
rested  on  the  isle  of  Wane  Rusari  for  the  station.  I 
was  guided  to  this  determination  by  its  extent,  its 
fertility  of  soil,  and  the  convenience  of  the  access  to 
the  right  bank,  whence  provisions  could  be  obtained. 
We  proceeded  to  mark  out  a  site  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  island,  which  was  covered  with  a  dense  bush, 
wherein,  while  we  cleared,  we  discovered  relics  of 
former  inhabitants.  At  the  upper  end,  at  the  distance 
of  1200  yards  from  the  station,  were  the  villages  of 
the  tribe,  wherein  we  had  experienced  a  slight  struggle 
in  1877. 

Although  we  had  completed  all  negotiations  with 
the  Wenya  in  a  far  more  successful  way  than  any  one 
could  have  predicted,  it  behoved  us  to  provide  for  the 
sustenance  of  the  station,  and  our  guide,  accompanied 
by  a  few  of  our  own  men,  was  sent  to  Siwa-Siwa,  the 
chief  of  the  Bakumu,  who,  hearing  how  happy  the 
Wenya  had  been  made  by  the  white  strangers,  ad- 
vanced from  the  interior,  a  distance  of  five  miles,  with 
thirty  natives,  each  weighted  with  cassava,  bananas, 


STILL  HAVEN. 


163 


STILL  HAVEN. 


164 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    yams,  sweet  potatoes,  and  pumpkins,  besides  which 

c.2tol0.  J  .      ,       1  r  . 

Wand  the  chiefs'  women,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  guide, 
Rusan.  neglected  to  provide  for  the  necessities  of 

the  whites,  and  had  brought  eggs  and  fowls,  while  a 
small  flock  of  goats  was  transported  to  our  new  island 
home. 

Between  Siwa-Siwa  and  myself  it  might  be  said  to 
be  love  at  first  sight.  Which  of  us  was  most  effusive 
it  would  be  difficult  to  say.  His  sunny  brown  face  was 
aglow  with  so  much  candour  and  boyish  delight,  that 
probably  this  caused  a  warm  and  spontaneous  reci- 
procity on  my  part.  I  admired  greatly  the  loving 
possessive  manner  in  which  his  women  surrounded  me, 
and  cooed  their  sweetest  into  each  of  my  ears,  without 
exciting  in  the  least  Siwa-Siwa's  jealousy,  or  alarming 
his  susceptibilities.  Agreements  with  Siwa-Siwa  re- 
quired no  casuistry  to  urge  his  signature.  The  Wenya 
had  told  him  everything,  and  was  present  to  gu%le  his 
judgment  if  he  hesitated.  Siwa-Siwa  confided  solely 
in  my  honour  that  my  coming  among  them  boded  no 
evil,  but  who  knows  what  good?  "Your  people  shall 
be  my  children,"  said  he,  "  in  your  absence.  Go  in 
safety.  It  will  be  my  task  to  feed  them,  and  until  you 
return  I  shall  dream  every  night  of  you."  Good 
Fortune  certainly  seemed  to  have  prepared  for  me 
pleasant  places  in  the  wilderness ! 

There  only  remained  one  more  duty,  and  that  seemed 
for  a  time  the  most  difficult,  viz.,  selecting  a  substitute 
for  the  person  whom  I  had  conveyed  to  Stanley  Falls 
to  take  charge  of  the  station,  only  to  hear  him  at  the 


THE  CHIEF  OF  STANLEY  FALLS. 


105 


Jast,  pleading  earnestly  to  be  returned  to  the  coast.  1883. 

1  &  J  ,  Dec.2tol0. 

There  only  remained  three  engineers — two  Scotchmen  Wta^ 
and  a  German — and  an  English  man-of-war's  man,  Rlsan* 
who  acted  as  skipper  of  the  A. LA.  steam-launch. 
Binnie,  a  little  Scotchman,  about  5  feet  3  inches  in 
height,  begged  to  be  appointed,  but  his  very  slight 
appearance  caused  me  to  be  anxious.  However,  argu- 
ing that  if  a  man,  after  arriving  in  mid-Africa  and 
bearing  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  is  so  enamoured 
of  a  residence  there  that  he  volunteers  to  remain,  it 
appeared  to  me  to  be  evidence  that  he  was  possessed  of 
a  superior  and  firm  soul  that  would  carry  him  through 
any  physical  weakness,  and  Binnie,  the  engineer  of 
the  Royal,  was  accordingly  appointed  chief  of  Stanley 
Falls  Station  pro  tern. 

AYe  cleared  about  four  acres  of  ground  for  him,  con- 
structed a  dwelling-place  for  him,  furnished  him  with 
tools,  axes,  hoes,  hammers  and  nails,  gave  him  pro- 
visions of  wheat  flour,  meats,  coffee,  tea,  chocolate, 
sugar,  milk,  soups,  jam,  butter,  potatoes,  bacon,  lard, 
sauce,  tapioca,  vinegar,  brandy,  and  candles,  and 
stocked  his  goods  store  with  cloth  of  various  kinds, 
beads  of  many  colours,  cowries,  brass  wire,  rings, 
wristlets  and  anklets,  tin  plates  and  mugs  and  pans. 
Leaving  with  him  thirty-one  armed  men — soldier- 
labourers — and  a  plentiful  reserve  of  ammunition,  with 
abundance  of  sage  advice  to  be  prudent  and  just  in 
his  government,  amiable  and  patient  in  his  intercourse, 
trustful  and  courageous,  we  committed  him  to  the  care 
of  Providence,  and  on  the  10th  of  December  we  turned 


166 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    our  faces  homeward,  leaving  the  little  man  all  alone 

Wan($  '  with  his  grave  responsibilities. 

We  thus  had  reached  the  utmost  bourne  of  the 
expedition,  only  one  day  later  than  the  date  I  had 
given  to  the  Comite  at  Brussels.  Further  progress 
before  consolidation  and  incorporation  of  the  work  of 
the  Association  would  be  unwise.  What  was  required 
now  was  to  turn  our  attention  to  obtaining  the  Pro- 
tectorship of  the  districts  intervening  between  station 
and  station,  so  that  we  might  become  masters  of  one 
uninterrupted  and  consecutive  territory  from  Vivi 
Station  to  the  Falls,  which,  now  that  we  had  sown  seeds 
of  goodwill  at  every  place  we  had  touched,  and  eacli 
tribe  would  spread  diffusively  the  report  of  the  beauty 
and  value  of  our  labours,  it  would  be  an  easy  task  for 
an  intelligent  and  patient  officer  like  Captain  Hanssens, 
for  instance,  to  perform.  Pure  benevolence  contains 
within  itself  grateful  virtues.  Over  natural  peoples, 
nothing  has  greater  charm  or  such  expansible  power. 
Its  influence  grows  without  effort ;  its  subtlety  exercises 
itself  upon  all  who  come  within  reach  of  the  hearing 
of  it.  Coming  in  such  innocent  guise,  it  offends  not ; 
there  is  naught  in  it  to  provoke  resentment.  Pro- 
vided patience  and  good  temper  guided  the  chief  of 
Stanley  Falls  Station,  by  the  period  of  the  return  of 
the  steamers  the  influence  of  the  seedling  just  planted 
there  will  have  been  extended  by  the  Bakumu  far 
inland,  by  the  Wane'  Rukura  up  to  the  Baswa  at  the 
Upper  Falls,  by  the  Yakusu  visiting  the  Wenya  with 
their  fruits,  to  exchange  for  fish,  up  the  Chofu,  and 


PATIENCE  AND  GOOD  TEMPER. 


167 


alone*  their  own  ravaged  river  borders  down  to  the  ^  1883- 

°  c  Dec.  2  to  10. 

hearing  of  the  persecuted  families  on  the  islands.    The  Wand 

11  u  sari. 

Basoko  would  then  hear  of  it,  and  regret  that  such 
a  seedling  had  not  been  left  with  them,  to  grow  up 
amongst  them,  and  to  overshadow  them  with  its 
benign  shade. 


168 


THE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

DOWN"  THE  CONGO  TO  STANLEY  POOL. 

Going  with  the  stream — The  Arabs  send  their  confidential  men  with  us 
— Navigability  of  the  Lumami  and  Lubilash — Wreck  of  the  Royal — 
Beaching  and  repairing  the  wreck — Cold  winds  on  the  river — Iboko 
in  confusion — Impudent  thieving — A  prisoner — "Fast  bind,  fast 
find  " — A  horrified  father  —  Refusal  of  a  ransom  —  Cordiality  at 
Ukumira— Mata  Bwyki  in  a  passion — More  prisoners — Restitution 
of  our  stolen  property — Freeing  the  prisoners — A  horrible  massacre 
— Young  Glave  of  Yorkshire— Bolobo  station  again  burnt — News 
from  the  missionaries — Again  at  Leopoldville — Troublesome  news 
from  Vivi. 

1883.  Being  borne  down  by  the  current  of  the  tawny  flood  of 
akondi.  *nc  Congo  assisted  by  steam  was  naturally  much  more 
exhilarating  than  laboriously  breasting  it.  A  little  after 
noon  on  the  10th  we  were  in  camp  again  with  the 
Arabs,  who  had  moved  their  quarters,  and  were  hutted 
and  stockaded  on  the  left  bank,  on  the  site  of  ruined 
Yakonde. 

For  reasons  of  polity  I  set  about  persuading  the 
chiefs  to  send  with  us  to  the  coast  a  few  of  their  con- 
fidential men,  that  they  might  witness  for  themselves 
what  influences  were  advancing  up  the  river  on  whose 
banks  they  had  created  such  widespread  havoc.  It 
appeared  to  me  the  best  mode  of  suggesting  to  them, 


ARAB  RECOLLECTIONS. 


169 


rather  than  saying  so  in  many  words,  that  it  would  be  1883. 
wiser  to  abstain  from  committing  these  sanguinary  Isangi> 
battues,  than  to  risk  meeting  some  day  a  gunboat  with 
a  police  force  on  board,  who  probably  might  deal 
summarily  with  such  a  slave-raiding  band  as  we  had 
found  housed  so  openly  on  the  river  banks.  Meantime 
they  could  send  specimens  of  their  ivory,  and  obtain 
a  few  necessaries  of  which,  perhaps,  they  were  in  need. 
They  accepted  the  proposal,  and  they  accordingly  sent 
ten  of  their  confidential  slaves  with  three  tusks  each. 
It  was  exceedingly  inconvenient,  naturally,  while  en- 
gaged in  the  conveyance  of  men  and  stores,  and  plant 
ing  stations  along  the  river,  to  engage  carrying  pas- 
sengers ;  still  I  regarded  it  as  part  of  the  mission,  and 
by  no  means  the  least  useful  portion  of  it. 

On  the  12th  we  continued  on  our  voyage  down 
river ;  the  Arabs  on  board  could  tell  us  incidents  in 
connection  with  each  of  the  ruined  villages  as  we  glided 
past.  Yaporo  was  soon  passed,  and  an  hour  later  we 
came  to  the  mouth  of  the  affluent  Lubiranzi.  Our 
passengers  had  been  up  this  river,  and  had  utterly 
devastated  the  country  on  each  side.  Twenty-five 
miles  higher  up  rapids  are  met,  but  above  these  a 
few  miles  the  Lumami  and  the  Lubilash  meet,  both 
being  navigable  for  hundreds  of  miles.  At  the  large 
town  of  Isangi,  situated  at  the  left  corner  of  the 
confluence,  the  natives  had  begun  to  build  again,  but 
on  our  appearance  they  scrambled  and  hurried  away 
in  quick  flight  across  the  river,  forming  a  flotilla  with 
which  the  Congo  might  have  been  bridged  easily. 


170 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    Probably  1 2,000  natives  were  afloat,  as  some  of  the  canoes 

Dec.  14.  J       9  .  ' 

Yaluiima.  were  very  large,  containing  about  a  hundred  people. 

The  mouth  of  the  Lubiranzi  was  about  800  yards 
wide,  showing  that  it  ranks  in  size  with  the  Biyerre. 

On  the  13th  we  passed  by  the  warrior  tribe  of  the 
Bahunga,  in  the  district  of  Bunga,  and  four  hours  later 
spoke  with  the  Barumbu.  These  are  situate  on  the 
highlands  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Biyerre'. 
We  left  a  promise  that  the  next  time  the  steamers 
should  ascend  they  would  be  visited  and  treated  with, 
and  camped  at  evening  below  Bungungu  among  the 
Bahamba  tribe.  This  was  the  ultimate  point  which 
the  Arab  raiders  had  reached. 

On  the  14th  my  arm  was  scarified  at  Iruba,  a  short 
time  later  at  Mbungu,  and  at  noon  at  the  new  settle- 
ment of  Yaluiima,  after  stopping  an  hour  at  each  place 
in  order  that  our  presence  on  their  waters  might  be 
understood. 

On  the  15  th  we  had  arrived  at  the  place  above 
Ikassa,  whence  we  crossed  over  to  the  right  bank  in 
the  ascent.  Having  traced  the  left  bank  from  Stanley 
Falls  down  to  Ikassa,  and  in  our  ascent  traced  the  re- 
mainder, we  now  stretched  across  the  river  to  continue 
the  exploration  of  the  right  bank.  In  doing  so  the 
steam-launch  Royal  was  steered  too  near  the  upper 
extremity  of  an  island,  and,  striking  a  snag,  sank 
immediately  to  her  gunwale.  The  other  boats  rushed 
to  the  rescue  to  unload  her  of  her  passengers  and  the 
cargo  of  ivory  belonging  to  our  Arab  guests ;  and, 
examining  her  condition,  we  perceived  that  she  was 


WRECK  OF  THE  ROYAL.  171 

upborne  by  the  snag.  We  were  obliged  to  camp,  188.3. 
and  let  her  remain  there  until  morning.  Upoto 

After  eight  hours'  work  on  the  16th  we  succeeded  in 
chipping  off  the  snag ;  and,  ramming  canvas  into  the 
foot-wide  rent  in  her  hull,  we  floated  the  Royal  on  to 
a  bank,  and  afterwards  hauled  her  up  on  the  dry  land, 
and  turned  her  over.  A  space  three  feet  in  length 
by  eighteen  inches  in  width  was  sawn  out,  as  it  was 
hopelessly  fractured,  and  we  commenced  to  rebuild  her 
out  of  the  remnants  of  dunnage,  on  wThich  we  were 
accustomed  to  lay  our  cloth  bales.  Our  tools  consisted 
of  a  saw,  two  gimlets,  a  brace  and  bits,  a  hatchet,  a 
rasp,  and  two  dozen  screws.  By  the  evening  of  the 
19th  the  repairs  were  completed,  the  boat  was  again 
launched,  the  engines  were  fixed,  and  the  loads 
replaced  ready  for  the  morrow's  departure. 

The  Congo,  ever  since  our  start  up  the  Biyerre  on 
the  17th,  had  been  steadil}r  falling,  and  as  the  Royal 
was  a  deep  boat,  drawing  three  feet  six  inches  water, 
we  found  the  exploration  was  not  very  easy  whenever 
vre  left  the  mo  in  channels. 

At  11  a.m.  we  were  skirting  the  hills  of  Upoto. 
We  halted  here  to  purchase  provisions,  to  make 
brotherhood  with  Lubungu  and  Ibanza  or  Minyoto, 
and  make  a  treaty.  A  beautiful  piece  of  ground 
commanding  a  magnificent  view  was  also  purchased. 
Representatives  from  Ukele,  Umangi,  Mpissa,  and 
Iringi  appeared  also,  and,  being  neighbours  of  Upoto, 
we  concluded  treaties  with  them. 

On  the  23rd  we  passed  the  river  of  Ubika,  whence 


172 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.    issued  the  wild  men  who  had  overrun  so  much  of  the 

jec.  23. 

Upoto.  left  hank.  As  the  main  force  of  the  flood  sheered 
towards  the  left  bank  in  this  locality,  we  could  only 
occasionally  follow  the  right  bank.  The  cold  winds 
met  in  our  rapid  descent  by  steam  and  with  the  current 
prostrated  us.  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  suffered 
the  slightest  indisposition  for  months,  because  while 
ascending  the  river  we  had  been  retiring  before  the 
wind.  In  coming  down  from  Stanley  Falls  as  far  as 
Upoto,  we  were  proceeding  towards  the  flank  of  the 
wind-current.  AY  hen  we  finally  began  to  descend 
along  the  south-westerly  stretch — the  force  of  the  cur- 
rent, between  two  and  three  knots,  blowing  up  from 
sea — the  six-knot  speed  of  the  steamers,  increased  the 
force  of  the  wind  which  we  had  to  face  to  about  nine 
knots,  which  at  once  checked  the  insensible  perspira- 
tion, and  deranged  the  system.  Two  whites  and  a 
coloured  man  fell  victims  to  the  first  day's  experience 
of  this  peculiar  change.  Glass  windows,  which  would 
have  served  as  a  protection  against  the  wind,  and 
enabled  us  to  pilot  the  steamers,  would  have  saved  us 
many  a  day's  illness. 

On  the  24th  we  passed  by  other  villages  of  the 
Wabika,  wTho  have  been  in  their  turn  harried  by  the 
Bangala.  It  has  taught  them  to  build  their  village 
lines  along  small  tributaries  of  the  C'ongo,  the  mouths 
of  which  can  be  blocked,  and  by  which  they  present 
insignificant  points  to  the  foe,  and  secure  safe  retreats 
inland  when  the  Bangala  are  on  one  of  their  raiding 
expeditions. 


IMPUDENT  THIEVING. 


173 


Passing  by  Lusengo,  we  soon  afterwards  came  in 
sight  of  the  territory  of  Iboko. 

Christmas  Day  found  ns  halted  at  central  Iboko,  at 
the  landing-place  of  the  old  chief  Mala  Bwyki.  The 
ancient  of  the  Ban  gala  was  absent  at  Bukumbi  on  the 
left  bank.  Kokoro,  his  son,  was  suffering  from  a 
severe  ulcer  in  the  foot.  Boleko  was  removing  his 
village  and  his  belongings  in  order  to  occupy  a  new 
clearing  at  the  lower  end  of  Iboko.  Mbembe,  the 
second  son,  had  departed  on  a  trading  tour  to  Langa- 
Langa.  Kjugu,  the  favourite  nephew,  had  lost  four 
children  in  one  day  by  drowning,  and  was  therefore 
seeking  forgetfulness  of  his  sorrows  in  the  beer-pot. 

The  ''cats  being  away,  the  mice  began  to  play." 
Thieving  became  rampant ;  the  "  unwashed  "  of  Iboko 
were  ripe  for  mischief ;  and  they  gathered  on  the  bank 
in  great  numbers,  affecting  much  joy  at  beholding 
the  brother  of  their  "  Lord  of  Many  Guns."  But  the 
strong  under-current  of  motives  in  pressing  so  warmly 
forward  presently  disclosed  itself  by  the  sly  abstraction 
of  "  unconsidered  trifles."  A  boat^rowlock,  a  spear,  an 
opera-glass,  a  cap,  a  bag  of  clothes,  an  umbrella,  and  in 
the  strangest  manner  a  tin-box,  belonging  to  one  of 
the  whites  who  was  always  the  most  unsuspecting  of 
individuals,  and  who  required  to  be  prompted  on  every 
occasion  not  to  put  too  large  a  faith  in  affected  friend- 
ships. 

As  continual  reports  of  theft  by  people  who  would 
naturally  steal  so  long  as  they  were  tempted  by  other 
people's  gross  negligence  of  their  own  properties  were 


174 


THE  CONGO. 


1883.  very  irritating,  our  people  received  warning  that  the 
iboko.  firs^  who  brought  news  of  a  theft  would  be  punished, 
and  he  who  first  caught  a  thief  would  be  rewarded. 
For  the  result  of  this  we  had  not  long  to  wait :  a  man 
was  caught  in  the  act,  and  a  dozen  willing  hands  laid 
hold  of  him.  The  Bangala,  however,  rushed  to  the 
rescue,  and  seized  him  also,  and  would  have  succeeded 
in  wresting  him  from  his  captors  had  I  not  hurried 
up  to  lend  assistance. 

We  carried  our  prisoner  away  in  triumph  on  board 
the  steamer,  and  bound  him  securely  on  the  principle 
of  u  fast  bind,  fast  find."  Orders  were  then  given  to 
make  steam. 

An  hour  passed  without  further  alarm.  Then  a 
man  was  caught  in  the  act  of  abstracting  a  boat  flag, 
with  the  intention  doubtless  of  wearing  it  about  his 
loins.  Such  an  indignity  to  the  golden-starred  flag 
was  not  to  be  permitted,  and  an  impetuous  rush  was 
made  on  the  prisoner,  but  he  by  superhuman  exertions 
escaped. 

Kokoro,  hearing  of  all  these  disgraceful  proceedings 
of  his  father's  subjects,  came  in  a  canoe,  and  was  paddled 
up  and  down  the  river-side,  threatening  dire  vengeance 
in  a  loud,  hoarse  voice  upon  the  thieves,  but  no  one 
paid  the  slightest  heed  to  him,  seeing  which  he  advised 
me  to  be  on  the  alert,  and  catch  every  rogue  among 
them.  He  advanced  alongside  of  the  steamer,  to  look  at 
our  prisoner,  and  was  horrified  to  find  that  he  was  his 
own  son  ! 

His  stoicism  was  that  of  the  slayer  of  the  Tarquins. 


A  HORRIFIED  FATHER. 


175 


He  essayed  to  speak,  but  the  words  would  not  issue.  1883. 
In  a  moment  of  rage  he  had  condemned  unwittingly  Iboko 
his  own  son.  Poor  Kokoro  !  I  saw  too  well  what  his 
emotions  were  caused  by.  He  thought  of  his  son,  the 
heir  of  Iboko,  being  a  slave  conveyed  to  unknown 
lands.  It  was  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue  to  order  his 
release  to  relieve  the  poor  fellow's  agony,  but  I  desisted, 
knowing  the  African  too  well.    However,  I  said  : 

"  Kokoro,  if  this  is  your  son  I  shall  obtain  my  pro- 
perty back,  and  your  boy  will  be  returned  safe  into 
your  hands." 

He  went  away  with  head  bent  down  and  finger  on 
his  lips,  and  never  spoke  a  word,  thinking  perhaps  of 
what  he  should  say  to  the  mother. 

With  such  an  important  prisoner  on  board,  Iboko 
was  no  place  for  us,  and  we  steamed  across  to  the 
island  opposite.  Thither  Njugu  came,  prompted  by  his 
cousin  Kokoro,  to  negotiate  for  his  son's  release.  He 
offered  two  tusks  of  ivory  and  two  slaves  if  we  would 
free  him. 

"  Not  for  twenty  slaves,  and  twenty  tusks  of  ivory. 
Look  here,  you  Njugu  !  What  do  you  mean  by  making 
blood-brotherhood  with  me  and  my  people  and  then 
robbing  us.  To  steal  is  to  make  war.  War  is  met 
with  war.  Do  you  forget  the  Ibanza,  who  years  ago 
descended  by  your  town  ?  Have  you  quite  forgotten 
your  trouble  with  Irebu,  caused  by  the  thieving  of  the 
Bangala  ?  Go  back  and  tell  Kokoro  I  am  going  down 
river  to  the  Bakuti,  and  I  will  take  his  son  with  me. 
On  the  tenth  day  !  shall  return,  when  I  shall  expect 


17(3 


THE  CONGO. 


^1883.^   my  property  back,  and  Kokoro  will  get  Lis  boy  safe 
Urimga.  again."    Soon  after  we  continued  our  journey  down 
river. 

On  the  2 8 tb,  with  many  troubles  from  sand  bars, 
we  passed  by  the  populous  districts  of  Usimbi  and 
Ubengo,  and  at  4  p.m.  entered  a  narrow  channel 
leading  to  Ukumira. 

This  last  community  came  into  view  early  next 
morning.  Ukumira  seemed  to  have  projected  itself  in 
one  body  to  greet  us.  It  consists  of  twelve  villages, 
extending  along  a  ten-mile  length  of  river  bank.  The 
land  is  very  low  but  densely  wooded,  and  the  islands 
opposite  are  remarkable  for  the  apparent  impenetrability 
of  their  bush. 

A.  few  miles  below  Ukumira  is  the  well-peopled  district 
of  Bungata,  extended  in  a  long  line  along  the  right 
bank.  From  its  upper  end  a  spacious  channel  of  the 
Congo  strikes  obliquely  across  towards  the  left  bank, 
to  be  deflected  along  it  by  the  dry  airy  bluff  banks 
of  Uranga  at  the  confluence  of  the  Lukungu  and  the 
Congo.  No  sooner  did  we  appear  than  Uranga  also 
poured  forth  its  multitudes,  who  showed  effusive  de- 
monstrations of  welcome.  Our  reputation  evidently 
had  been  widely  extended  in  our  absence.  Uranga 
was  even  more  cordial  than  Ukumira,  the  left  bank  vied 
with  the  right  bank  in  extending  fraternal  amenities. 
Seventy  well-manned  canoes  darted  about  us,  hailing 
Bula  Matari  by  name,  wishing  him  "  more  power," 
dinning  his  ears  with  numberless  invitations  to  their 
different  villages,  and  displaying  noisy  argumentative- 


POPULARITY  OF  BULA  MAT  A  111. 


177 


ness  about  the  superiority  of  their  respective  chiefs. 
One  of  these  clamorous  canoe-crews  was  that  which 
swept  Iuka  of  Lukolela  alongside  of  us.  He  had 
ventured  to  Uranga  on  a  trading  excursion,  and  had 
already  acquired  a  valuable  stock  of  ivory,  while 
the  prospect  of  increase  was  promising. 

Being  an  old  friend,  we  accompanied  him  to  his 
hotel-village,  whither  presently  all  the  Uranga  chiefs 
gathered  to  make  blood-brotherhood,  to  fraternise  over 
huge  pots  full  of  beer,  and  to  exchange  views  for  the 
future  settlement  of  a  station,  and  arbitrament  of  dis- 
putes. As  every  canoe  arriving  up-river  from  the 
cloth-marts  of  Irebu,  Usindi,  Lukolela,  and  Bolobo  had 
been  bringing  the  latest  news  of  Bula  Matari's  doings, 
the  fruit  was  ready  ripe.  We  made  a  treaty  with 
Uranga,  while  much  loud  but  harmless  fusilading 
celebrated  the  event. 

Starting  from  Uranga  at  8.20  a.m.,  we  arrived  at 
Equator  Station  at  4.20  p.m.,  to  find  that  Lieutenants 
Yangele  and  Coquilhat  were  well,  and  that  they  had 
extended  their  improvements  by  planting  an  avenue 
of  bananas,  besides  in  many  other  ways  beautifying 
the  station.  Ikenge',  the  native  chief,  was  dead,  and 
no  further  trouble  was  anticipated  from  him. 

Our  prisoner,  the  grandson  of  Mata  Bwyki,  was 
introduced  to  Equator  Station,  to  the  "  big  house  "  of  the 
Mundele,  to  the  other  white  men  and  to  the  garrison, 
to  the  piles  of  goods,  including  the  array  of  cloths,  and 
the  wealth  of  vari-coloured  beads — in  order  that  he 
might  retain  the  best  impressions,  and  assist  us  with 
Yol.  IT.— 12 


178 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    Ins  artless  story  of  what  he  had  seen  among  the  pale- 

Jan.  1. 

iboko.  faces. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1884,  we  started  on  our 
return  journey  to  Iboko,  for  the  sake  of  our  prisoner 
and  the  consummation  of  other  projects.  Lieutenant 
Coquilhat  accompanied  us. 

We  arrived  at  Central  Iboko  at  2  p.m.  of  the  5th. 
Mata  Bwyki  was  present.  He  had  in  fact  arrived  only 
thirty  minutes  after  I  had  departed,  bound  for  Equator 
Station.  He  was  furious  at  the  manner  we  had  been 
treated,  and  now  when  speaking  he  was  almost  suffocated 
by  his  own  angry  passions,  when  relating  to  me  what 
he  had  learned  on  his  return. 

"As  for  Kokoro's  son,  keep  him  safe  until  your  goods 
are  restored.  You  took  him  away — that  made  us  all 
sorry  at  first;  but  now  that  you  have  brought  him 
back  we  have  no  fear  of  you.  It  will  do  him  good, 
and  he  will  be  an  example  to  the  rest." 

The  6th  passed  away,  and  still  the  young  fellow  was 
on  board,  but  on  the  7th  a  grand  council  of  the  chiefs 
of  Iboko  was  convened,  and  a  great  concourse  of  men 
attended. 

During  the  sitting  Njugu  whispered  to  me  that  one 
of  the  thieves  who  was  known  to  possess  articles 
belonging  to  us  was  present.  "  If  you  can  trust  your 
men,  seize  him  and  hold  him  fast.  Kokoro's  son  must 
not  be  a  captive  alone." 

A  few  whispered  instructions  to  one  of  my  confi- 
dential servants  served  to  bring  twenty  of  the  boats' 
crews  ashore,  with  cords  under  their  clothes.  The  thief 


MOJiE  PEISONEBS. 


179 


was  pointed  out,  and  the  obedient  fellows  so  manoeuvred  1884. 
that  he  was  captured  amidst  the  circle  of  chiefs.  Of  Iboko> 
course  there  was  confusion  and  excitement,  wild  talk 
and  furious  gestures,  but  nevertheless  my  men  con- 
veyed the  thief  aboard,  and  bound  him  hand  and  foot. 
The  council  continued  its  sitting  after  the  subsidence 
of  the  alarm,  but  in  a  few  minutes  another  thief  was 
arrested  from  behind  one  of  the  chiefs,  and,  despite 
menaces,  which  one  time  pushed  patience  to  the 
very  narrowest  verge  of  safety,  he  was  carried  away 
captive. 

Old  Mata  Bwyki  enjoyed  himself  immensely,  Njugu 
and  Mbembe  remained  strangely  quiet  at  all  this, 
which  caused  all  the  chiefs  to  ask  them  what  it  all 
meant. 

Mata  Bwyki  rose,  and  said :  "  It  only  means  that 
Bula  Matari  knows  the  customs  of  the  Bangala.  If  a 
thief  is  known,  he  may  be  held  in  bond  until  a  restitu- 
tion of  the  stolen  property  is  made.  Bula  Matari  has 
now  got  three  prisoners,  one  of  whom  is  my  own 
grandson.  He  shall  keep  them,  sell  them,  or  kill  them 
— just  as  he  may — unless  his  property  be  returned  to 
him.  Bula  Matari  has  acted  like  a  brother.  He  was 
robbed.  He  went  away  for  ten  days ;  he  came  back  to 
give  us  another  opportunity.  Now  find  the  goods  you 
have  stolen  from  him,  or  else  he  shall  take  his  captives 
away  and  cut  them  up  in  little  pieces  if  he  likes.  I 
have  spoken." 

Seeing  which,  the  chiefs  agreed  with  him  that  to  do 
injury  to  a  strong  man,  to  Bula  Matari,  was  very  impo- 


ISO 


THE  CONGO. 


;vv":    litic.    The  town-criers  were  therefore  despatched  in  all 

Jan.  7.  I 

iboko.  directions  to  announce  the  doom  that  wrould  surely 
befall  the  grandson  of  Mata  Bwyki  and  two  other 
sons  of  the  Bangala  if  the  goods  were  not  restored. 
As  Iboko  is  a  very  large  settlement,  this  restitution 
could  not  be  effected  immediately,  but  on  the  9th, 
one  by  one  the  plundered  articles  were  brought  to 
Mata  Bwyki,  and  the  old  chief  returned  them  to  me. 
Then  when  a  due  inspection  of  the  goods  had  been 
made,  and  not  one  of  the  dozens  of  articles  abstracted 
was  found  missing,  the  prisoners  were  set  free,  and 
conducted  to  Mata  Bwyki,  who  was  seen  to  smile 
grimly  on  his  wicked  grandson,  and  was  heard  to 
admonish  the  assembled  Bangala  to  leave  the  property 
of  Bula  Matari  severely  alone  in  future  lest  a  dreadful 
fate  might  overtake  the  guilty  party. 

On  the  10th  a  treaty  was  entered  into  with  Iboko  ; 
and,  in  peace  with  all  the  Bangala,  at  evening  we 
steamed  away  down  the  Congo. 

Arriving  at  Equator  Station,  a  curious  story  was 
related  to  us  by  two  European  eye-witnesses  of  the 
proceedings,  the  narration  of  which  recalls  to  our 
memories  the  sanguinary  customs  of  Dahomey.  We 
had  heard  of  cruel  sacrificing  of  life  before  ;  but  the 
stories  were  told  by  Africans,  who  have  the  habit  of 
relating  events  of  this  kind  in  the  most  matter-of-fact 
manner.  When,  however,  Europeans  describe  them 
they  strike  home  to  our  sense  of  horror  with  a  shocking 
force. 

An  important  chief  of  the  neighbourhood — an  old 


A  HORRIBLE  MASSACRE. 


181 


and  long-ago  superannuated  potentate,  of  whose  exist-  ™\\ 
ence  I  had  previously  been  unaware — died,  and,  Equator 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  By -yanzi  and  Bakuti, 
slaves  had  to  be  massacred  to  accompany  him  to  the 
land  of  spirits.  Accordingly  the  relatives  and  free- 
men began  to  collect  as  many  slaves  as  could  be  pur- 
chased. Lieutenant  Vangele  was  chief  of  about  fifty 
men,  and  on  account  of  the  good  discipline  of  the  station, 
and  the  prompt  obedience  paid  to  his  commands 
by  the  garrison,  the  Bakuti  imagined  the  soldier- 
labourers  in  the  pay  of  the  Association  to  be  slaves, 
and  proposed  to  purchase  a  few  of  them.  Yangele 
was  curious  to  know  why  they  wanted  the  men,  and 
he  was  then  informed  of  the  preparations  being  made 
to  celebrate  the  burial  of  their  chief  wTith  an  execution 
of  slaves.  Of  course  the  proposal  was  rejected  with 
horror,  and  the  garrison  chased  the  Bakuti  with  sticks 
out  of  the  precincts  of  the  station. 

The  mourning  relatives  finally  secured  fourteen  men 
from  the  interior,  and,  being  notified  by  the  villagers 
that  the  execution  was  about  to  begin,  M.  Yangele 
and  his  friend  proceeded  with  a  few  of  their  men  to 
view  the  scene. 

They  found  quite  a  number  of  men  gathered  around. 
The  doomed  men  seen  were  kneeling  with  their  arms 
bound  behind  them  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  tall 
young  tree,  near  the  top  of  which  the  end  of  a  rope 
had  been  lashed.  A  number  of  men  laid  hold  of  the 
cord  and  hauled  upon  it  until  the  upper  part  of  the 
tree  was  bent  like  a  bow.     One  of  the  captives  was 


182 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    selected,  and  the  dano'linjr  end  of  the  rope  was  fast- 

Jan.  12.  . 

Equator,  ened  round  his  neck ;  the  tree  sprang  several  inches 
higher,  drawing  the  man's  form  up,  straining  the  neck, 
and  almost  lifting  the  body  from  the  ground.  The 
executioner  then  advanced  with  his  short  broad-bladed 
falchion,  and  measured  his  distance  by  stretching  his 
weapon  from  the  position  he  intended  to  strike  across 
the  nape  of  the  neck.  He  repeated  this  operation 
twice.  At  the  third  time  he  struck,  severing  the  head 
clean  from  the  body.  It  was  whipped  up  to  the  air 
by  the  spring  of  the  released  tree  and  sent  rebounding 
several  yards  away.  The  remaining  captives  were 
despatched  one  after  another  in  like  manner.  Their 
heads  were  unfleshed  by  boiling,  that  the  skulls  might 
decorate  the  poles  round  the  grave.  The  bodies  were 
dragged  away  and  thrown  into  the  Congo ;  the  soil 
saturated  with  the  blood  was  gathered  up  and  buried 
with  the  defunct  chief. 

However  much  our  young  military  lieutenant  might 
have  wished  to  exert  himself  to  save  these  victims  of 
savage  usage,  since  money  would  not  buy  their  liberty, 
he  had  to  content  himself  with  knowing  that  he  was 
as  yet  helpless.  The  year  of  grace  will  no  doubt 
come  in  its  own  destined  time,  but  it  may  not  be 
hurried.  To  violently  resist  the  butchers  with  rifles 
would  simply  have  been  to  make  them  victims  instead, 
and  to  depopulate  the  land. 

On  the  13th  we  left  Equator  Station,  and  arrived  at 
Usindi  late  in  the  afternoon.  Yumbila,  the  guide,  was 
delivered,  with  his  wages,  to  his  master  Miyongo,  who 


BOLOBO  AGAIN  BURNT. 


183 


was  also  made  liappy  with  a  munificent  reward  for  the  i884. 
loan  or  the  services  or  his  servant.  Ngombi 

Leaving  Usindi,  we  halted  at  Ngombe,  to  exchange 
friendly  gifts,  and  to  oh  tain  a  promise  of  concessions  ; 
and  on  the  14th  we  arrived  at  Lukolela.  Young  Glave, 
of  Yorkshire,  had  not  made  much  of  an  advance  in  the 
construction  of  his  station,  as  the  work  was  hard  ;  but 
he  himself,  which  was  of  more  importance,  was  in 
extraordinary  condition.  He  was  as  fat  as  a  butcher's 
boy,  he  had  become  double-chinned,  and  amplified  a 
third  larger  in  body.  Petted  by  the  natives,  he  was 
beloved  by  his  garrison,  and  was  on  excellent  terms 
with  himself.  He  had  been  devoting  himself  to  furni- 
ture-making— had  made  chairs,  tables,  doors,  shutters, 
and  shelves.  He  had  a  good  deal  to  say  of  the  curious 
diseases  revealed  to  him  during  his  stay  at  Lukolela. 
Fevers  were  almost  unknown  ;  but  whitlows,  ulcers, 
sores,  and  similar  troubles,  were  frequent  and  an- 
noying. 

The  gravest  news  we  received  from  Lukolela  was 
contained  in  a  note  from  the  chief  of  Bolobo  Station. 
For  the  second  time  the  station  had  been  burnt  to 
the  ground  ! 

On  the  15th.  we  arrived  at  Bolobo,  and  saw  for  our- 
selves the  relics  of  the  destructive  conflagration — the 
houses,  goods,  rifles,  even  the  Krupp's  carriage  had 
been  destroyed,  and  the  ammunition  and  shells  had 
exploded. 

The  story  told  to  me  was  that  a  sick  man,  getting 
light-headed,  and  feeling  that  his  end  was  approaching, 


184 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.  resolved  to  have  an  honourable  burial.  When  a  chief 
ioiobo.  died  the  body  was  enveloped  in  thousands  of  yards  of 
clotli,  and  interred  with  protracted  ceremonies.  Kegs  of 
gunpowder  were  consumed  in  the  volleys  fired  over  the 
grave  ;  slaves  were  massacred,  and  the  soil  was  saturated 
with  the  blood  ;  his  favourite  wives  were  strangled,  and 
their  bodies  laid  alongside.  He,  friendless,  sick,  and 
dying,  pined  for  this  honour,  and  crept  by  night  to 
apply  the  destructive  torch  to  Bula  Matari's  houses. 
Although  he  was  arrested  while  flying  from  the  scene, 
nothing  could  be  done  to  avert  or  check  the  catastrophe. 
Being  thatched  with  grass  baked  crisp  by  the  tropic 
sun,  the  fire  fiend  rushed  up  to  the  sky,  and  was 
glutted  only  when  a  few  crimson  embers  marked  the 
site  of  our  unfortunate  station.  To  avoid  the  bursting 
shells  the  garrison  had  to  fly  to  the  saw-pits,  and  to 
the  hollows  by  the  river-side.  During  the  excitement 
the  prisoner  fled,  to  die  in  the  forest  beyond  Bolobo, 
satisfied,  no  doubr,  with  the  honours  he  had  won  by 
his  mad  freak. 

But  however  this  second  destruction  may  have  been 
caused,  this  third  event  during  the  administration  of 
the  chief  of  the  station  appeared  to  prove  that  a 
sinister  influence  affected  Bolobo,  which  probably 
might  be  averted  by  a  judicious  change  of  masters. 

Lieutenant  Liebrechts,  who,  while  at  Leopoldville, 
seemed  to  be  a  sufferer  from  chronic  debility,  so  that  he 
was  inelastic  in  movement,  pallid  of  face,  and  infirm 
of  step,  had  been  transferred  in  September  to  Bolobo. 
We  half  expected  to  hear  that  he  was  among  the  missing, 


NEWS  OF  TEE  MISSIONARIES. 


185 


or  had  departed  homewards ;  but  our  astonishment  was  1884. 

•ill*  c  ^an' 

very  great  when  a  strong,  martial-looking  figure  ap-  Bolobo. 
peared  at  the  landing-place  to  greet  us,  in  the  perfec- 
tion of  health  and  condition,  and  disclosed  himself  to  us 
as  Lieutenant  Liebrechts.  To  see  a  man  thus  restored 
to  us  flushed  with  strength,  a  new  and  richer  bloom  of 
manhood  on  his  face,  and  the  light  of  renovated  life 
glancing  from  his  eyes,  reconciled  us  to  hear  with 
patience  the  tale  of  the  second  burning  of  Bolobo. 

This  is  the  young  gentleman  to  whom  subsequently 
was  intrusted  the  reconstruction  of  the  station,  and, 
though  fifteen  months  have  elapsed  since  the  period 
of  his  appointment,  nothing  has  occurred  to  cause  us 
to  doubt  that  the  unkind  Fates  have  not  been  at  last 
duly  propitiated. 

The  news  we  learned  at  Bolobo,  relating  to  political 
and  missionary  efforts,  was  that  Dr.  Ballay  had  at  last 
emerged  at  the  mouth  of  the  Likuba,  and  had  con- 
structed a  station  at  Bossi.  The  chief  of  the  Livingstone 
Inland  Congo  Mission  had  been  a  visitor  at  Bolobo 
prospecting  for  a  site,  and  had  finally  selected  Misongo, 
below  Chumbiri,  as  a  suitable  locality  to  establish  a 
mission-house. 

On  the  18th  wre  arrived  at  Kwamouth  Station. 
The  station  was  well  advanced,  food  was  abundant,  and 
the  natural  advantages  wrere  many. 

On  the  20th  of  January  we  arrived  at  Kinshassa,  and 
were  gratified  to  observe  the  station  not  only  in  process 
of  erection,  but  rapidly  approaching  completion,  under 
the  grove  of  mighty  baobab  which  characterises  this 


186 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    district.    Consistent,  patient  conduct,  and  steady  for- 
Kinshassa.  bearance  had  performed  wonders,  and  the  most  intract- 
able community  on  the  Upper  Congo  had  been  con- 
verted to  have  a  perfect  faith  in  our  honesty  and  in 
the  purity  of  our  motives. 

Two  hours  after  leaving  Kinshassa,  the  flotilla 
steamed  into  the  cove  of  Le'opoldville,  from  which  it- 
had  been  absent  146  days,  having  meantime  travelled 
3050  miles  on  the  Upper  Congo. 

Le'opoldville,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  happy 
selection  of  its  chief,  Lieutenant  Valcke,  was  a  flou- 
rishing station.  For  from  the  matin  to  the  vesper 
bells,  excepting  Sundays,  work — purposeful  work — 
ran  on  in  a  steady,  unruffled  current.  By  this  means, 
nature  assisting,  the  gardens  teemed  with  abundance, 
and  the  houses  lined  the  terrace  in  an  imposing  row, 
so  that  our  guests  from  Nyangwe  uttered  exclamations 
of  admiration  which  were  indeed  echoed  by  everybody 
on  the  boats.  Nor  on  searching  into  details  was  there 
any  cause  found  for  regret.  All  the  chiefs  round 
about  were  on  excellent  terms  with  the  Europeans ; 
the  market  held  at  Leopoldville  Plaza  supplied  all 
that  the  community  needed.  There  had  been  no  out- 
break of  temper,  and,  consequently,  there  was  no 
marring  or  inharmonious  incident  to  relate.  The 
magazines  were  full  of  goods  and  provisions,  contain- 
ing enough  to  supply  all  the  stations  on  the  Upper 
River,  and  for  the  new  places  to  be  established  on  the 
next  journey  to  the  regions  above. 

Meantime,  on  the  Lower  Congo,  owing  to  the  fact 


AGAIN  AT  LEOPOLD  VILLE. 


187 


that  the  superior  person  promised  to  me  in  1882  as  188*. 

.      .      ,        .  ,  _      i  •   /•  •    •  Jan.  21. 

principal  assistant,  and  second  chiei  or  administrator,  i^opoi.i- 
had  not  arrived,  the  confusion  had  been  very  great  at    V1' e' 

our  principal  base.    "  Captain  "  D  had  made  only 

a  short  stay  at  Yivi,  but  his  reign  had  been  a  singu- 
larly unhappy  one.  Owing  to  some  incomprehensible 
reason,  Vivi,  both  with  its  Europeans  and  natives, 
was  in  a  ferment  continually.  Finally,  Sir  Frederick 
Goldsmith  had  appeared,  and  had  relieved  the  station 

of  the  presence  of  "  Captain "  D  .    Sir  Frederick 

had  himself  made  an  inspection  of  the  country  as  far 
as  Isangila,  but  had  returned  to  Europe,  and  the 
kindly  influence  that  had  begun  to  glow  on  the 
Lower  River  became  extinguished  at  his  depar- 
ture. Chief  after  chief  had  tried  their  fortunes  with 
governing  this  Augean  station,  but  each  and  all 
had  failed  to  relieve  me  of  the  manifold  complaints 
that  poured  to  Le'opoldville  during  my  absence.  Out 
of  120  letters  awaiting  me  on  my  return  from  the 
Falls,  all  but  thirty  contained  the  most  deplorable 
accounts,  and  revealed  a  state  of  affairs  that  compelled 
me  to  abandon  the  hope  that  it  could  ever  be  reme- 
died while  the  Chief  of  the  Expedition  remained 
away  on  the  Upper  Congo.  With  an  efficient  second  it 
might  be  possible  yet,  but,  excepting  the  notice  of  Sir 
Frederick  Goldsmith,  who  had  already  returned  to 
Europe,  there  was  no  promise  or  indication  that  the 
Comite  intended  to  assist  me  wTith  any  one.  Therefore, 
after  seeing  the  steamers  and  boats  duly  prepared  and 
equipped,  and  framing  most  elaborate  instructions  for 


188 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    the  guidance  of  my  deputy,  Captain  Hanssens,  be- 
L^opoid-  S^es  seein&  that  our  Arab   guests   had  been  con- 
ville-    ducted  to  the  sea  and  back  to  Leopoldville,  I  turned 
my  steps  towards  Yivi,  twenty-four  hours  before  the 
gallant  Captain  departed  on  his  long  journey  to  Stanley 
Falls. 


GOOD-BYE  TO  LEOPOLD  VILLE, 


189 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

RETURN"  TO  VIVI. 

Starting  of  our  caravan— A  promising  farewell — Ngalyema's  last  words — 
Encouraging  resolutions  of  the  officers—  Hospitality  of  the  natives 
as  we  pass— Nselo  ferry — Quarrel  between  Ngombi  and  Mbimbi — 
Peace-making — Forms  of  our  treaties  with  native  chiefs — List  of 
districts  and  their  chiefs— The  cut-throat  Lutete  is  changed  for  the 
better — An  extending  and  dangerous  crevasse  —  Lava  at  Kalulu 
Falls:  "Whence  has  it  come?" — Manyanga  "  higgledy-piggledy  " — 
Hospitality  at  the  mission-house  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingham — A  pretty 
station — Luima  and  Lunionzo  valleys — Climate  and  health — Congo 
la  Lemba — View  of  Vivi — Unhappy  reflections  upon  its  neglect. 

On"  the  morning  our  caravan  was  to  start  for  the 
coast,  I  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  proof  of  LTopoid 
success  which  our  patient  labours  had  won.  For  on  'llle" 
the  spacious  terrace,  covering  about  15,000  square 
yards,  which  we  had  carved  out  of  the  side  of  Leopold 
Hill,  and  converted  into  a  grand  promenade  and 
market-place,  were  assembled  the  chiefs  of  Kintamo 
and  a  few  hundreds  of  their  people  to  give  me  a 
"  good-bye." 

Ngalyema  had  long  ago  emerged  out  of  the  state 
of  childish  tutelage.  He  was  a  complete  man  in  a 
state  of  military  subordination — as  much  as  an  inde- 


190 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    pendent  aboriginal  chief  could  well  be.    He  knew  Lis 

March  20. 

Leopold-  Sundays  as  well  as  any  of  us,  and  kept  due  observance 
nlle"  of  them  by  hoisting"  the  gold-star  flag  at  sunrise;  he 
paid  friendly  visits  without  requiring  hostages,  and 
was  not  averse  to  picking  up  trifles  of  information 
respecting  the  sea-lands  ;  he  had  dropped  his  natural 
petulance  and  inordinate  heroics,  and  now  exchanged 
gifts  without  expecting  more  than  their  value.  A 
few  times  also  he  had  surprised  me  by  the  utterance 
of  sentiments  that  caused  me  to  glance  sharply  at  him 
to  detect  if  possible  the  spirit  that  prompted  them. 
For  instance,  it  sounded  oddly  to  be  told  by  Ngalyema 
that  the  "  gifts  of  friends  should  not  be  examined  as 
to  their  worth."  "A  pea-nut  from  a  true  friend  is 
better  than  a  bunch  of  bananas  from  an  enemy." 
"  Among  friends  you  may  sleep  with  open  doors." 
"  A  look  into  a  friend's  eyes  is  better  than  a  treasure 
of  cloth  from  a  man  you  doubt." 

When  I  had  drawn  my  men  in  line,  Ngalyema 
pressed  forward  for  a  last  word.  He  wished  me  to 
charge  my  white  sons  whom  I  was  to  leave  behind  not 
to  be  rude  to  him  and  his  people,  now  that  the  father 
was  going  away ;  not  to  push  and  smack  his  children 
when  they  came  to  visit  the  station,  for,  said  he,  "White 
men  differ  from  one  another  as  much  as  black  men. 
We  are  all  friends  and  brothers  now,  but  when  the 
old  man  is  gone  the  young  man's  head  grows  large, 
and  he  speaks  with  a  loud  tongue;  charge  the  sons 
you  leave  behind  that  they  do  not  forget  that  we  are 
Bula  Matari's  brothers." 


ville. 


A  PROMISING  FAREWELL.  191 

Whereupon  I  called  Captain  Seymour  Saulez  up,  issi. 

.  March  20 

and  presented  him  to  Ngalyema  for  nnal  words.  Lipoid- 

"  See,  Ngalyema,  this  son  of  mine.  Believe  in  him 
as  you  would  believe  in  me.  He  is  slow  to  anger,  not 
apt  to  break  his  word.  While  he  wears  this  face  be 
not  afraid  of  him.  If  it  turns  black  you  will  know 
that  he  lias  become  your  enemy.  Watch  it  daily,  and 
when  it  begins  to  change  its  colour  you  wTill  know  that 
the  evil  spirit  is  in  him  ;  until  that  time  sleep  in  peace. 
Fare  you  well,  Ngalyema,  Makabi,  Mubi,  old  Ngako. 
and  you  Manswala,  Ganchu,  Enjeli — good-bye  all  of 
you  ! " 

The  large  caravan  lifted  its  burdens  and  struck  out 
along  the  road  leading  to  the  coast,  many  of  the  men 
never  again  to  see  Leopoldville,  which  they  had  as- 
sisted to  build.  The  parting  with  the  Europeans  was 
affectionate.  With  Captain  Saulez's  promise  ringing 
in  my  ears,  that  he  would  distinguish  his  governor- 
ship by  the  industrious  improvement  of  Leopoldville, 
until  it  became  a  model  station  ;  and  the  assurance  of 
Dr.  van  den  Heuvel  that  he  would  complete  his  sana- 
torium on  the  summit  of  Leopold  Hill,  and  perform 
his  duties  manfully  and  nobly ;  wTith  the  carpenter 
Schnoor's  promise  that  I  should  hear  no  ill  repute  of 
him  ;  with  Captain  Hanssens'  declaration  that  he  would 
be  wary  and  watchful  on  the  Upper  Congo,  and  patient 
with  the  natives; — with  good  words,  in  short,  of  noble 
resolves  from  each  and  all,  and  loud  cheers  from  the 
garrison,  and  waving  of  hands  from  the  throngs  of 
natives,!  followed  my  caravan  now  travelling  eastward. 


102 


THE  CONGO. 


Along  the  road  the  friendly  chiefs  had  collected 
topoid-  great  earthen  jars  full  of  fresh  and  foaming  palm-juice. 
Vllle'    At  every  village  the  women  had  prepared  pots  of 
cold  water  to  give  myself  and  my  people  a  parting 
drink,  and  to  hid  us  kindly  adieus. 

Ngamberengi,  Ngoma,  and  old  Makoko  were  by  the 
roadside  with  their  friends,  slaves,  and  children,  to  see 
the  last  of  us,  and  every  village  we  passed  showed  the 
appearances  of  a  general  holiday.  The  acquaintance 
of  many  months  with  them  had  ripened  into  a  full 
friendship.  Not  a  shadow  remained  of  the  doubt 
which  in  old  times  blinded  their  eyes  and  clouded 
their  vision.  The  fond  regard  we  had  mutually  con- 
ceived towards  one  another  was  unmistakeably  genuine. 
Their  rough  hands,  often  horny  from  labour  and  ill- 
usage,  felt  as  warm  to  me  as  any  that  I  had  touched 
elsewhere. 

On  our  march  to  Inkissi  we  slept  first  at  Ngoma's,  a 
place  which  rests  lovingly  under  the  lee  of  the  shelter- 
ing mountain  of  Iyumbi.  We  crossed  the  breezy  ridge 
whence  we  may  gaze  over  a  world  of  lower  hill-domes 
divided  from  one  another  by  the  sinuous  lines  of  dark 
foliage.  We  plunged  down  into  the  cool  forest  tangle 
at  its  base,  and  emerged  into  full  sunlight  tracing 
the  spines  of  level  ridges.  We  dipped  down  into  the 
hollows  made  fresh  with  streams  and  verdure,  and 
then  climbed  up  to  rest  under  Mbe's  friendly  and 
grateful  palms.  Along  an  elevated  and  grassy  table- 
land, with  the  Congo  a  few  miles  to  our  right  tearing- 
down  over  its  successive  terraces,  we  next  journeyed. 


NSELO  FERRY. 


193 


Beyond  Kinzila's   banana   groves  we   descended  to  1884. 

.  March  2 

cross  the  pellucid  waters  of  the  brawling  Lulu,  and  Kinzi]. 
a  few  miles  west  camped  on  a  square-browed  bill 
opposite  the  cones  of  Nsangu,  whence  we  looked 
down  on  winding  belts  of  tall  woods  crowned  with 
impervious  leafage,  on  which  the  sunshine  broke  out 
in  sprays  as  the  breeze  kissed  the  pendulous  and  deli- 
cate tops. 

Over  a  road  which  gently  undulated  and  followed, 
long,  grassy  ridges  we  urged  our  way,  being  greeted  by 
pleasant  peoples  who  flocked  from  their  happy  villages 
to  see  us,  until  we  stood  over  a  deep-wooded  gorge 
through  which  the  full-volumed  Inkissi  River  flowed 
strongly  past  the  ferry  to  fall  lower  down  in  beautiful 
cascades  to  the  Congo. 

The  guardians  of  the  ferry  are  at  Nselo  on  the 
western  side,  and  the  word  is  holload  loudly  that 
Bula  Matari  and  his  people  are  come.  The  chiefs  of 
Nselo  are  in  our  pay,  and  receive  monthly  subsidies 
like  others.  They  accordingly  hasten  to  ferry  us  over 
with  their  canoes,  assiduously,  and  in  their  village  give 
us  such  further  welcome  as  commend  them  favourably 
to  kind  consideration. 

Beyond  Nselo  the  country  is  for  a  considerable 
distance  level,  feeders  of  the  Inkissi  skirhng,  left  of  us, 
the  plateau  on  which  we  travel.  We  are  too  far  from 
the  Congo  to  be  annoyed  by  the  deeply-grooved  hills. 
We  cross  a  lovely  little  stream,  and  follow  a  gentle 
inclined  spur  towards  Mbimbi,  near  which  we  see, 
Vol.  II.— 13 


194 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    suspended  to  a  tree,  a  felon  whom  Judge  Lynch  of 

Uarch20.         1  .        .        7  . 

Mbimbi.  Congo-land  lias  condemned  for  pilfering  in  the  public 
market. 

The  folks  of  Mbimbi  welcome  us  with  gleeful  shouts, 
for  here  are  our  carriers  who  know  us  all  well.  They 
sweep  the  huts,  and  tidy  them  for  their  guests,  while 
bowls  and  foaming  pots  of  palm-wine  come  forth  as 
a  grateful  testimony  of  their  regard  for  us. 

Ngombi,  close  by  to  the  right,  has  excited  the  anger 
of  Mbimbi,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  latter  wish  me  to 
advise  them  how  to  slake  their  fury  in  the  best  blood 
of  Ngombi.  Here  is  a  storm  in  a  teapot,  truly  !  My 
work  of  preaching  peace  and  brotherhood  is  not  yet 
ended,  and  so  they  have  to  listen  to  paternal  admoni- 
tions to  keep  the  peace.  The  road  cannot,  must  not, 
be  closed !  No  fighting  nor  sounds  of  gunshot  must 
be  heard ;  the  carrier  travels  with  empty  hands  but 
loaded  back,  and  they  must  not  be  frightened  by  the 
noise  of  strife,  the  cries  of  war,  &c.  So  the  people 
of  Mbimbi  promise  faithfully  to  cloak  their  wrath.  But 
to  ensure  their  loyal  observance  of  their  promises  a 
treaty  is  made  with  them,  as  with  each  chief  along  the 
route,  that,  in  consideration  of  certain  quantities  of 
cloth  to  be  paid  to  them  monthly,  they  shall  abstain 
from  acts  of  aggression  and  violence  against  their 
neighbours.  The  purport  of  this,  as  of  other  similar 
negotiations,  may  be  best  understood  by  the  perusal  of 
the  following  forms  : — 


FORMS  OF  TREATIES. 


195 


{Cory.) 

Expedition  Internationale  du  Haut-Congo. 

Village  of  Banza  Mbuba,  District  of  Nzunoi, 
March  26th,  1884. 

We,  the  undersigned  chiefs  of  Nzungi,  agree  to  recognise  the  ig84-. 
sovereignty  of  the  Association  Internationale  Africaine,  and  in  sign  March  26. 
thereof  adopt  its  flag  (blue  with  a  golden  star).  We  declare  we  shall  keep  Nzungi. 
the  road  open  and  free  of  all  tax  and  inmost  on  all  strangers  arriving 
with  the  recommendation  of  the  agents  of  the  above  Association. 

All  troubles  between  ourselves  and  neighbours,  or  with  strangers  of  any 
nationality,  we  shall  refer  to  the  arbitration  of  the  above  Association. 

We  declare  that  we  have  not  made  any  written  or  oral  agreement  with 
any  person  previous  to  this  that  would  render  this  agreement  null  and 
void. 

We  declare  that  from  henceforth  we  and  our  successors  shall  abide  by 
the  decision  of  the  representatives  of  the  Association  in  all  matters  affect- 
ing our  welfare  or  our  possessions,  and  that  we  shall  not  enter  into  any 
agreement  with  any  person  without  referring  all  matters  to  the  chief  of 
Manyanga  or  the  chief  of  Leopoldville,  or  act  in  any  manner  contrary  to 
the  tenor  or  spirit  of  this  agreement. 

Keekuru,  his  X  mark, 
Witnesses—  Chief  of  Nzungi. 

Imalla,  his  O  mark,  Nseka,  his  X  mark, 

Chami  Pard.  Chief  of  Banza  Mbuba. 

Mwamba,  his  x  mark,  Nzako,  his  X  mark, 

of  Makitu's.  Banza  Mbuba. 

Insila  Mpaka,  his  X  mark, 

Of  Banza  Mbuba. 
Iriaki,  his  X  mark, 

Chief  of  Banza  Mbuba. 


(Treaty.) 

Henry  M.  Stanley,  Commanding  Expedition  du  Haut  Congo,  acting  in 
the  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  "  Association  Internationale  Africaine," 
and  the  king  and  chiefs  of  Ngombi  and  Mafela,  having  met  together  in 
conference  at  South  Manyanga,  have,  after  deliberation,  concluded  the 
following  treaty,  viz.  :— 

Art.  I— The  chiefs  of  Ngombi  and  Mafela  recognise  that  it  is  highly 
desirable  that  the  "  Association  Internationale  Africaine " 


196 


THE  CONGO. 


should,  for  the  advancement  of  civilization  and  trade,  be 
firmly  established  in  their  country.  They  therefore  now, 
freely  of  their  own  accord,  for  themselves  and  their  heirs 
and  successors  for  ever,  do  give  up  to  the  said  Association  the 
sovereignty  and  all  sovereign  and  governing  rights  to  all  their 
territories.  They  also  promise  to  assist  the  said  Associa- 
tion in  its  work  of  governing  and  civilising  this  country, 
and  to  use  their  influence  with  all  the  other  inhabitants, 
with  whose  unanimous  approval  they  make  this  treaty,  to 
secure  obedience  to  all  laws  made  by  the  said  Association,  and 
to  assist  by  labour  or  otherwise,  any  works,  improvements,  or 
expeditions  which  the  said  Association  shall  cause  at  any  time 
to  be  carried  out  in  any  part  of  these  territories. 

Art.  II. — The  chiefs  of  Ngombi  and  Mafela  promise  at  all  times  to 
join  their  forces  with  those  of  the  said  Association,  to  resist 
the  forcible  intrusion  or  repulse  the  attacks  of  foreigners 
of  any  nationality  or  colour. 

Art.  III.— The  country  thus  ceded  has  about  the  following  boundaries, 
viz.,  the  whole  of  the  Ngombi  and  Mafela  countries,  and 
any  others  tributary  to  them ;  and  the  chiefs  of  Ngombi 
and  Mafela  solemnly  affirm  that  all  this  country  belongs 
absolutely  to  them;  that  they  can  freely  dispose  of  it;  and 
that  they  neither  have  already,  nor  will  on  any  future  occasion, 
make  any  treaties,  grants,  or  sales  of  any  parts  of  these 
territories  to  strangers  without  the  permission  of  the  said 
Association.  All  roads  and  waterways  running  through  this 
country,  the  right  of  collecting  tolls  on  the  same,  and  all  game, 
fishing,  mining,  and  forest  rights,  are  to  be  the  absolute  pro- 
perty of  the  said  Association,  together  with  any  unoccupied 
lands  as  may  at  any  time  hereafter  be  chosen. 

Art.  IV. — The  "  Association  Internationale  Africaine  "  agree  to  pay  to 
the  chiefs  of  Ngombi  and  Mafela  the  following  articles 
of  merchandise,  viz.,  one  piece  of  cloth  per  month  to  each  of 
the  undersigned  chiefs,  besides  present  of  cloth  in  hand ;  and 
the  said  chiefs  hereby  acknowledge  to  accept  this  bounty  and 
monthly  subsidy  in  full  settlement  of  all  their  claims  on 
the  said  Association. 

Art.  V.— The  "  Association  Internationale  Africaine*'  promises: — 

1.  To  take  from  the  natives  of  this  ceded  country  no  occupied 

or  cultivated  lands,  except  by  mutual  agreement. 

2.  To  promote  to  its  utmost  the  prosperity  of  the  said  country. 

3.  To  protect  its  inhabitants  from  all  oppression  or  foreign 

intrusion. 

4.  It  authorizes  the  chiefs  to  hoist  its  flag ;  to  settle  all  local 


1884. 
April  1. 

[tfanyanga. 


FORMS  OF  TREATIES. 


197 


disputes  or  palavers;  and  to  maintain  its  authority  with  1884 
the  natives.  April  1. 

Agreed  to,  signed  and  witnessed,  this  1st  day  of  April,  1884. 

Henry  M.  Stanley. 

Witnesses  to  the  signatures —  Tonki,  his  X  mark, 

E.  Spencer  Burns.  Senior  Chief  of  Ngornbi. 

D.  Lehrman.  Mampuya,  his  X  mnrk, 
Dualla.  Senior  Chief  of  Mafela. 


We,  the  undersigned  chiefs  of  the  districts  placed  Opposite  our  names 
below,  do  hereby  solemnly  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs  and  successors,  for 
the  purpose  of  mutual  support  and  protection,  to  observe  the  following 
articles : — 

Art.  I. — We  agree  to  unite  and  combine  together,  under  the  name  and 
title  of  the  u  New  Confederacy,"  that  is,  our  respective  districts, 
their  towns  and  villages,  shall  be  embraced  by  one  united 
territory,  to  be  henceforth  known  as  the  New  Confederacy, 

Art.  II. — We  declare  that  our  objects  are  to  unite  our  forces  and  our 
means  for  the  common  defence  of  all  the  districts  comprised 
within  the  said  territory  ;  to  place  our  forces  and  our  means 
under  such  organization  as  we  shall  deem  to  be  best  for  the 
common  good  of  the  people  and  the  welfare  of  the  confederacy. 

Art.  III. — The  New  Confederacy  may  be  extended  by  the  admission  of 
all  such  districts  adjoining  those  mentioned  before,  when  their 
chiefs  have  made  application,  and  expressed  their  consent  to 
the  articles  herein  mentioned. 

Art.  IV. — We,  the  people  and  the  chiefs  of  the  New  Confederacy,  adopt 
the  blue  flag  with  the  golden  star  in  the  centre  for  our 
banner. 

Art.  V. — The  confederated  districts  guarantee  that  the  treaties  made 
between  them  shall  be  respected. 

Art.  VI.— The  public  force  of  the  confederacy  shall  be  organized  at  the 
rate  of  one  man  out  of  every  two  men  able  to  bear  arms ;  of 
native  or  foreign  volunteers. 

Art.  VII. — The  organization,  the  armament,  equipment,  subsistence  of 
this  force,  shall  be  confided  to  the  chief  agent  in  Africa  of  the 
"  Association  Internationale  du  Congo." 

To  the  above  articles,  which  are  the  results  of  various  conventions  held 
between  district  and  district,  and  by  which  we  have  been  enabled  to 
understand  the  common  wrish,  we  sovereign  chiefs,  and  others  of  the 


198 


THE  CONGO. 


1884, 
Afcril  1. 

Manyansa, 


Congo  district  hereby  append  our  names,  pledging  ourselves  to  adhere  to 
each  and  every  article : — 

Mark  of  Matanga. 

„      Mahimpi  Mbeza. 


District  of  Khionzo 


District  of  V\ 


District  de  Nsanda 


District  de  Boete 


District  de  Mgangila 


1 


Mbambi. 

Mbango  Mpanibo. 
Mkote. 

Mango  Mbando. 
Mbango  Mkote. 
Mpanibo  Kionzo. 
Mtimpi  Mavungo. 
Mtimpi  Mpanibo. 
Mambouko  Ntamo. 
Massala. 
Vivi  Mavungu. 
Kapita. 

Benzani  Congo. 

Yivi  Mku. 

Mambuku. 

Ngufu  Mpanda. 

Dedede. 

Samuna. 

Sanda  Mundele. 

Sancla  Mallele. 

Sanda  Mpolele. 

Mkandu. 

N'Sanda  Manena. 

Nebangi. 

Nekumbi. 

Ngomi. 

Netzima. 

Suka  Madrata. 

Makaya. 

Mganga. 

Kapita  Nsanda. 

Kapita  Fontula. 

Sanda  Nlelle. 

Boete  Nzita. 

Fulula. 

Mavinga. 

Nzau. 

Ngombi. 

Pambu. 

Makambu. 

Kapita. 

Nimpangi. 

Nekinga. 


CONGO  DISTRICTS  AND  CHIEFS. 


District  de  Msuka  . 


District  de  Sadika  Banzi. 


District  de  Lefuna. 


District  de  Yellala. 


District  de  Kinzalu 


District  de  Lusalci  Kindunga 


District  de  Vivi 


District  de  Isangila 

District  de  Ngoma 
District  de  Chiama  Mbongo 


Mark  of  Msuka  Mkwete. 

„  Msuka  Mazinga. 

„  Msuka  Mavungu. 

„  Sadika  Banzi. 

„  Banza  Manzi. 

„  Mku. 

„  Mzita. 

„  Mtona. 

„  Matanga. 

„  Kapita  a  Matanga. 

„  Singa  Maka. 

„  Madiata. 

„  Mavinga. 

„  Nefula. 

„  Ntete  Yellala. 

„  Ngombi. 

„  Mambnku. 

„  Moemba. 

„  Mbenza. 

„  Sakala  Konzo. 

„  Makaya. 

„  Mekukwe. 

„  Mavinga. 

„  Netunga. 

„  Mavinga  Kindonga. 

„  Mavinga. 

„  Mku. 

„  Matumbo  Nipombo. 

„  Nelomle. 

„  Nefuka  Mozza. 

„  Nigombe. 

„  Nematta. 

„  Nicombbe. 

„  Ncsukka. 

„  Matouks. 

„  Kapita  Chiama. 

„  Nalafimdi  Kinkele. 

„  Mangofo. 

„  Massuna  Mampuya. 

„  Nzaulelo. 

[      „  Ngoma. 

„  Nzadi. 

„  Chiama  Mbongo. 


200 


THE  CONGO. 


1884. 

April  1.    District  of  Jzenda  Nzendi. 
Manyanga. 

District  de  Li  mama  Mayoukona 

District  de  Lutete  . 

District  of  Ndarribi  Mbongo 
„  Mhinda 
„  Chionzo 
„  Kibwanda 
„       Kineati . 
Kimbunda 


District  de  Maswamba. 


District  de  Natuma 
District  de  Xtombo 

District  de  Yon;, a  . 
District  de  Kikai  . 


i  Mark  of  Izenda  N'Zendi. 

„  Ne  Linza. 

„  N'Zanzi. 

„  Limama  Mayukona. 

„  Lutete  Kimprika. 

„  Tedede. 

„  Ndambi  Mbongo. 

„  Mazau  Chama  (Bindu). 

„  Chionzo. 

„  Matanga  Sissul^va  (Kimbwanda). 

„  Icliiaknndama  (Kineati). 

„  Ichiamboma  (Banza  Kimbunda). 

„  Ichiama  Mbongo. 

„  Lengo  Mbenza. 


District  de  Ganya 


District  de  Sellele  .... 


Monauganda. 


Ichimo  Mvangu  ) 
Lakali  Bwadi  J 
Matombukele. 
Ntete. 
Sellele. 

Loanda  Maswambu. 
Nassoma. 
Natela. 

Ichiama  Kimpioka. 

Chiomkiandu  i  Kilonda). 

Lussala  Yori     I  _ 
T  ,  .         ,        c  Kussala. 
Ichiamambourn  I 

Busalla  Busundii 

Ichiamkumama 

Sakola  Lema  (Makanga). 

Ichiamdebe  (Melonde). 

Salamamboina  (Makanga). 

Lussala  Wala. 

Inkelia  Lubrofa. 

Kingoma. 

Sukibola. 

Lutete  Mayungi. 

Kinkela  Lenga  (Nsanda  Ntombo; 

Malonore. 

Mavindi. 

Ichiampanzu. 

Mavambu. 

Ichiakundama  (Nganda). 
Lutete  Ngoma. 
Lutete  Nsona. 
Tiama  Sumpa. 
Naboela  (Xsundi). 
Kikundama. 


CONGO  DISTRICTS  AND  CHIEFS. 


201 


(Mark  of  Kinkela  Nzita. 


District  de  Moinzi . 


District  de  Kissimba 


District  de  Kompola 


District  de  Wunki 


District  de  Mkundu  Mputu    .  -{ 


District  de  Banza-Kivumba  . 
District  de  Kimbuda  . 

District  of  Mkundu  a  Mputu. 


Kinkela  Loko. 
Sakala  Yeta. 
Mavamba  Bevakela. 
Lussala  Mkento. 
Malanda  Mbako. 
Sakola  Bato. 

Mavambo  Msebwa. 
Sakala  Nianda. 
Sakala  Guila. 
Cheka  Navundi. 
Babambu  Mkumba. 
Lutete  Landu  (Kulukingo). 
Thama  Lutila. 
Lutete  Makundu  (Makai). 
Kinkelu  Baku  (Kmanye). 
Zikidole  (Kavunda). 
Sakala  Masefo  (Muswambu). 
Miku  Niema  (Mbota). 
Kinkela  Many  an  ga  (Banza). 
Ichiama  Mbonga  (Monizi). 
Nsakala  Ronko  (Banzahungo). 
Nsakala  Mpanza  (Kaizi). 
Ichiama  Lebula  (Kissimba). 
Lutete  Mliondi  (Kissimba). 

Kenkala    Kaji  (Kempampala 

Kinzras). 

Lutete  Nzemla  (     „  Kionzo). 

Lutete  Matanka  (     „  ). 

Ichiama  Likombe  (     „  Moanza). 

Ichiama  Mbota  (     „  Kissimba). 

Lutete   Msyala  (     „       „  ). 

Kenkella  Mpossi  (     „  Moanza). 

Sakala  Libemba. 

Lutete  Masiona  (Kissemba). 

Suzi  Moka  (Monakila). 

Sakala  Libemba. 

Hussala  Salu. 

Sakala  Maviamu. 

Ntalenta. 

Kinkela  Mbenda. 

Lutete  Ngoma. 

Ichiama  Kanzu  (Monakidi). 
Matuna  Manza  (Mbindi). 
Mavambu  Luswaanza  (Melonde). 


1884. 
April  1. 

Manyanga. 


202 


THE  CONGO. 


1884. 
April  1. 

Manvanga 


District  de  Ntombo 


District  de  MoJcanga 
District  de  Makunga 

District  de  Glonala 


District  de  Bemha 


District  de  Ngombe 


District  de  Kimpiri 


Mark  of  Ionia  Mboma  (Ngombe). 

Lutete  Mavungu  (Kiamba). 
Sakala  Mbwoka  (Kaiji) 
Movemba  Motunda  (Ntando 

Ngombe). 
Siku  Zambi  (Makanga). 
Lutete  Mokidi  (Nakaji  KunaZoele), 
Kinkela  Makinzi  (Kinkongo). 
Mivinze  (Kissinga). 
t     „      Sakala  Makanza  (Mankamba). 
Mkanda  (Banza  Nyunga). 
Mkanda  (Banza  Nyunga). 
Kassungwa  (Banza  Makango). 
Chiko  Mayaka  (Niviza). 

Bako  (Mbanza  Tampala). 
Icliiama  Kundi. 

Bangazi. 

Matunda  Mkassa. 
Kussala  Mputu. 
Nsuki  a  Mbongo  (Mavula). 
Msuka  Banza     (     „  ). 
Malembessa        (     „  ). 
Chiama  Lutuba  (Madioka). 
Nampollele         (      „  ). 
Glonalla  Makuta  Didela  (Nsala). 
Chiama. 

Naowami  (Monasala). 
Mayemba  (Mokinanga). 
k     „      Kinsiola  (Kinkinka). 

„  Yandudu. 
Namampuia. 

Mangomole  (Nsieka  Mavalu). 
Bikandu. 
Banumi. 

Nampampuia  (Kunango). 
Makaia  (      „  ). 

Kivesna  (Kimbuku). 
Mandangi  (Kimbongo). 
Qualuka  (Unatiba). 
Mayemba  (Kissenga). 
Zenga  (Ngola). 
Moyola  (Kinkulu). 
Nialubu  (Koisefu). 
Nalekete  (Kintoko). 
Mbuku  (Kujaji). 


CONGO  DISTRICTS  AND  CHIEFS. 


203 


District  de  Bidu  . 


[  Mark  of  Sumbu  (Bulu). 
Makito. 
Nabukutu. 


District  de  Kibonda  . 


District  de  Kalemba  . 

District  de  Losi 
District  de  Kihindika  . 

District  de  Ntoinbo 


District  de  Banzi  Kimbuho 

District  de  Ngoya  . 
District  de  Lemha  . 

District  de  Mbu 


1884. 
April  1. 

Manyanga. 


Nausudi  (Kaladi). 
Nawaji. 

Nzilabonda  (Ntandu). 

Kebawele  (Kimbonda). 

Namoina  (Mantoba). 

Mayossa  (Mbindi). 

Bemba  (Kiboli). 

Mswela  (Kimpange). 

Betani  (Nsandu). 

Minina  (Broende). 

Kwemsunga  (Kulonde). 

Sukula  Mbonga. 

Tambele. 

Yenga. 

Nampuia..^ 

Nzangi  (Makaji). 

Gampoia. 

Lussilo  (Konzo). 

Monayendi. 

Kiboli  (Kibunga). 

Kimponda  (Kitunda). 

Lomba. 

MakioDa. 

Matari. 

Niangana. 

Mayella. 

Kwaka.Ha. 

Makitu. 

Filankoum. 

Longozi. 

Masuka. 

Baghidi. 

Petelo. 

Lovamba. 

Lufuanzu. 

Borgi. 

Kimbwanga. 

Petolo. 

Komingo. 

Makwata. 

Gornantade. 

Gongoulu. 

Jos. 


204 


THE  CONGO. 


1884. 
April  1. 


Manvanga.  _  .  .  .  .  _  „_ 

District  de  Ndandai 


District  de  Nyombi 


District  de  Mpanya 


District  de  Lutete 


Mark  of  Tanglongo. 


District  de  Sello 


Matuso  Mbongo. 

Kanza. 

Mkossa. 

Mavungu. 

Luvouma. 

Petelo. 

Zoa  Manipuya. 

Mswalu. 

Tong. 

Tunzo  Mivembo. 

Mballa. 

Petelo. 

Yinda. 

Lolowe. 

Missanga. 

Melengo. 

Ngombe  (Ngombe). 
Makitu  (Banza  Kandoke). 
Lutete  (Lufunchou). 

Issa. 

Dongo  (Banza  Kindingo). 
Tiamutulu  (Kinangilwa). 
Kinonga. 

Nsumbu  (Kimbacda). 
Dolorwala. 
Ntoba  (Funzou). 
Chiakambongo  (Nzoundon). 
Petelo  Secca  (Nkoko). 
Petelo  Sumba  (Kinibenza) 
Bemba. 

BolotoYO  (Kindemba). 

Tusa. 
Challa. 


Copy  of  Mr.  Stanley's  remarks. 

N.B.  At  Isangila  Messrs.  Morgan,  Parminter,  Van  Kerchoven,  and 
Hortwig  were  present. 

From  Isangila  to  Lulu  on  South  Bank,  in  presence  of  Messrs.  Morgan 
and  Par  m  inter. 

Lutete  Kuna,  a  native  of  Nsanda,  present  as  interpreter. 

Originals  sent  to  Brussels  with  Mr.  Morgan,  who  sent  receipt  to 
Lieutenant  Valcke. 

Gen.  Goldsmith  received  copy. 

I  received  a  copy. 

H.  M.  S. 


FORM  OF  THE  A  TIES. 


205 


{Copy.) 

Expedition  Internationale  du  Haut-Congo. 

Pallaballa,        April,  1884. 

«    A  Supplementary  Treaty  made  this  day  between  H.  M.  Stanley,  Chief  1884. 
Agent  of  the  Association  Internationale  Africaine,  and  the  undersigned  April  19- 
chiefs  of  the  districts  of  Pallaballa,  to  explain  the  meaning  and  spirit  Pallaballa. 
of  term  "  Cession  of  Territory,"  found  in  the  Treaty  made  8th  January 
1883,  between  Lt.  Van  de  Yelde  and  the  said  chiefs  of  Pallaballa. 

I.  — It  is  agreed  between  the  above  parties  that  the  term  "  Cession  of 

Territory  "  does  not  mean  the  purchase  of  the  soil  by  the  Associa- 
tion, but  the  purchase  of  the  suzerainty  by  the  Association,  and 
its  just  acknowledgment  by  the  undersigned  chiefs. 

II.  — It  is  well  understood  by  the  undersigne  1  chiefs  that  the  right  of 

arbitration  between  the  chiefs  and  natives  of  Pallaballa  and  all 
foreigners  of  any  colour  or  nationality,  is  conceded  to  the  Associa- 
tion Internationale  Africaine ;  that  the  right  of  governing,  of 
arranging  all  matters  affecting  strangers  of  any  colour  or 
nationality  and  the  natives  of  Pallaballa ;  of  deciding  in  all 
affairs  when  appealed  to  by  the  undersigned  chiefs ;  of  deciding 
what  Europeans  shall  settle  in  any  part  of  the  district  of  Palla- 
balla, is  conceded  in  full  to  the  Association  Internationale 
Africaine.  The  undersigned  chiefs  also  declare  themselves  as 
accepting  the  flag  of  the  Association  Internationale  Africaine, 
as  a  sign  to  all  men  that  the  Association  is  their  accepted  suzerain, 
and  that  no  other  flag  shall  be  hoisted  within  the  limits  of  the 
district  of  Pallaballa.  In  consideration  of  which  the  undersigned 
chiefs  are  entitled  to  and  shall  receive  the  monthly  pay  promised 
them  in  the  first  treaty  made  with  Lt.  Van  de  Yelde. 

All  these  being  fully  explained  to  the  undersigned  chiefs,  they  have 
affixed  their  marks  in  testimony  of  their  adhesion  to  the  terms  and  spirit 
of  this  supplementary  treaty. 


H.  M.  Stanley, 

Commanding  Expdn.  du  Haut-Congo. 


Witnesses — 


(Signed)  Henry  Craven. 

LiviDgstone  Mission. 
Dualla. 


Noso,  his  X  mark. 
Kiangala,  his  X  maik. 
Talente,  his  X  mark. 
Nefutila,  his  X  mark. 
Nelombe-Katende,  his  X  mark. 


206 


THE  CONGO. 


(Copy.) 

Expedition  Internationale  du  Haut-Congo. 

South  Manyanga  Station,  March  31st,  1884. 

L884.        We,  the  chiefs  Dongosi  and  Kukuru  of  Voonda,  sole  masters  of  the 
March  31.  district  of  that  name,  having  applied  to  Henry  M.  Stanley,  Chief  of  the 
Manyanga.  Expedition  Internationale  du  Congo,  to  enter  into  that  confederacy  of 
native  chiefs  now  established  between  Stanley  Pool  and  South  Manyanga, 
and  all  the  responsibilities  and  privileges  undertaken  or  enjoyed  by  the 
members  of  that  confederacy  being  explained  to  us,  we  hereby  enter  into 
an  agreement  with  the  said  Henry  M.  Stanley,  and  bind  ourselves,  our 
heirs  and  successor?,  to  observe  the  following  articles  :— 
I  —We  shall  keep  all  roads  passing  through  our  district  free  of  duty,  tax 
or  impost  to  all  strangers,  white  or  black,  who  shall  have  the 
recommendation  or  good-will  of  the  Association  Internationale 
Africaine. 

II— We  surrender  all  right  to  collect  taxes  or  imposts  to  the  agents  of 

the  said  Association. 
III.— We  agree  to  recognize  the  sovereignty  of  the  said  Association,  and 

adopt  the  flag  of  the  Association,  blue,  with  a  golden  star,  as  a  sign 

thereof. 

iy< — We  shall  refer  to  the  said  Association  all  matters  relating  to  the 
government,  all  questions  affecting  the  peace  of  the  country,  all 
troubles  between  ourselves  and  neighbours,  or  between  ourselves 
and  strangers  of  any  colour  or  nationality,  to  the  arbitration  and 
decision  of  the  Agent  of  the  Association  Internationale  Africaine. 

y._We  declare  that  we  have  not  made  any  agreement,  oral  or  written, 
with  any  person  that  would  render  this  agreement  null  and  void  in 
any  particular. 

YI. — We  declare  that  from  henceforth  we  and  our  successors  and  subjects 
shall  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  Chief-Agent  of  the  Association 
Internationale  Africaine  in  all  matters  affecting  our  welfare,  our 
possessions,  or  our  relations  to  our  neighbours,  or  strangers  of  any 
colour,  and  that  we  shall  not  act  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  this 
agreement  in  any  particular,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  all  subsidies, 
gifts,  or  presents  made  to  us  by  the  agents  of  the  Association.  In 
witness  whereof  we  have  sent  our  confidential  servants  as  our 
proxies  to  sign  this  agreement,  having  understood  its  contents  and 
given  our  consent  verbally  in  presence  of  our  people  to  do  and  act 
precisely  as  the  chiefs  of  Ngombi,  Lutete,  and  Makitu  have  already 
done. 

Witnesses —  Mdombasi  Luboki,  his  X  mark, 

Dualla.  Proxy  for  the  chief  Dongosi. 

Lofunsu  li  Mbulu,  his  X  mark, 

Proxy  for  the  chief  Kuturu. 


THE  CUT- THROAT  LUTETE. 


207 


From  Mbirabi  we  descended  slowly  threading  our  1884. 
way  through  luxuriant  grass  until,  passing  the  hill-  Mbimbi. 
cone  of  Kizalu,  we  crossed  the  stream  to  which  the 
natives  have  no  other  name  to  give  but  the  44  Stream," 
or  "  Njali,"  from  whence  we  follow  a  lengthy  spur, 
on  which  the  villages  of  Mani,  Ngoma,  Kimbenza, 
and  Mpika,  at  respectable  distances  apart,  are  found 
secluded  amid,  their  own  particular  banana  groves 
and  palms.  Banza  Mbuba  comes  next,  on  a  com- 
manding height  overlooking  a  wilderness  of  hills, 
between  which,  however,  there  runs  a  narrow  neck, 
or  saddle  of  a  ridge.  Nzungi,  a  village  of  carriers, 
lies  to  the  left.  Fat  black  pigs  roam  about  freely 
amid  the  abundant  *  ground-nut  fields,  and  Nzungi's 
position,  if  anything,  is  on  a  breezier  hill  than  that  of 
Mbuba. 

Several  lucent  streams  are  passed  before  we  come  to 
Kimpemba,  which  we  find  we  have  viewed  several  times 
when  on  the  north  bank  in  our  camp  at  Mpakambendi. 
It  is  close  to  the  verge  of  the  Congo  canon,  and  a 
certain  grand  picturesqueness  of  view  is  obtainable. 
From  this  spot  we  soon  strike  in  an  oblique  direction 
from  the  river,  into  the  plain  of  the  Mulwassi  River, 
and  up  over  much  reddish  land  to  the  more  promising 
uplands  of  Ngombe,  of  Lutete. 

I  cannot  help  smiling  when  I  remember  Lutete"s 
bold  remark  when  he  first  saw  one  of  our  agents  in 
1882.  For  the  pleasure  of  decapitating  the  pale-faced 
man,  he  was  willing  to  make  conditions.  Swaggering 
under  a  load  of  palm  wine,  he  affected  a  loud  voice,  and 


208 


THE  CONGO. 


L884.    said  to  the  coloured  escort,  "  Give  me  that  white  man, 

March.  .  9> 

LUtete.   and  you  may  go  away  in  peace. 

"  What  do  you  wish  a  white  man  for  ?  "  asked  the 
men,  rather  astonished  at  the  unparalleled  insolence  of 
the  demand. 

"  To  cut  his  throat,"  replied  the  chief  brutally.  He 
had  so  often  levied  blackmail  on  other  wayfarers,  and 
badgered  them,  and  this  white  being  looked  so  innocent 
and  guileless,  that  to  slit  such  a  man's  jugular  seemed 
no  great  crime  to  him.  The  escort,  however,  did  not 
share  his  opinon,  and  took  him  away  safely.  On  the 
return  of  the  escort,  however,  towards  the  Pool, 
Lutete  laid  an  ambuscade,  and  commenced  firing. 
To  his  utter  discomfiture,  however,  few  as  were  the 
numbers,  they  returned  a  sharp  fire,  and  captured  nine 
of  his  people,  who  were  kept  as  prisoners,  and  for 
whose  release  he  had  to  make  humble  apology.  But 
to-day  Lutete  presents  an  example  of  what  may  be 
made  of  these  men.  We  have  a  station,  a  neat  and 
happy  station,  governed  by  a  British  man-of-war's 
man — a  boatswain's  mate,  who  leads  as  jolly  a  life  as 
ever  he  lived  aboard  any  of  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Victoria's  vessels.  With  onlv  twelve  men  he  lives 
in  peace  just  one  mile  away  from  the  "  ferocious " 
chief;  and  this  same  throat-cutter  of  two  years  ago 
now  furnishes  carriers  and  table-servants,  besides 
sending  his  children  to  the  Baptist  School.  In  fact,  he 
is  a  most  exemplary  individual  in  every  respect. 

Between  Lutete'  and  Mpangu  we  pass  by  several 
villages  inhabited  by  men  for  whom  I  have  great 


GEOLOGICAL  EVIDENCES. 


209 


regard.     Toonda,  in  the  hollow,  enchanting  for  its  188-t. 
cosiness  and  delicious  bits  of  domestic  life  among  the  MpangTJ; 
Bakongo,  and  Iyenzi,  with  very  tall  palms,  which 
promise  gifts  of  their  effervescing  juice,  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  by  men  who  have  seen  their  open  spaces 
shaded  by  the  glorious  leafy  trees. 

By  the  time  he  arrives  at  Mpangu  it  will  have 
dawned  on  the  mind  of  the  traveller  that  both  the 
north  and  south  banks  of  the  Congo  originally  formed 
one  plateau.  And  if  he  has  intelligently  reflected 
on  what  he  has  seen,  he  will  be  able  to  interpret  the 
geological  story  told  by  the  deep  furrows  which  time 
has  inscribed  in  the  canon  of  the  Congo,  and  the  com- 
plicated system  of  profound  gorges  trending  towards 
it  from  the  southward  and  northward. 

For  instance,  close  to  Mpangu  I  stand  upon  a  spot 
like  many  I  have  seen  north  and  south  of  the  river. 
It  is  equal  in  height  to  the  thousand  ridges  and  hill- 
tops I  see  around,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  half- 
a-dozen  cones,  which  may  be  a  few  feet  higher.  A 
peculiar  crevasse  near  me  reveals  the  nature  of  the  soil 
for  at  least  150  feet  deep.  The  sides  of  the  crevasse  are 
perpendicular,  a  stone  dropped  from  an  outstretched 
arm  would  fall  straight  to  the  bottom  without  beino- 
diverted  from  its  course  by  a  single  projection.  The 
crevasse  is  apparently  extending ;  it  has  encroached  on 
the  public  path.  At  any  moment  during  the  rainy 
season  the  caravan  road  at  this  place  may  sink  to  the 
bottom  with  the  fall  of  a  mass  of  clayey  and  sandy 
conglomerate,  which  will  be  pulverised  into  dust  by  the 
Vol.  II.— 14 


210 


THE  CONGO. 


L884.    shock  of  the  descent  from  such  a  height.  Another  rain, 

March.  f  . 

Mpangu.  an(l  the  powdered  debris  will  be  swept  into  the  next 
runnel,  thence  into  the  more  impetuous  stream  next  to 
it,  and  thence  into  the  Congo,  to  give  a  little  browner 
colour  to  the  already  brown  water  of  the  great  river. 
This  crevasse  will  extend  deeper  into  the  heart  of  the 
narrow  plateau  ridge  on  which  I  stand  ;  it  will  yaw7n 
wider  and  w7ider  wTith  each  years  rains  ;  it  will  then 
exchange  the  perpendicular  for  a  slope,  and  the  cre'vasse 
will  become  a  gully,  afterwards  a  wide  ravine,  and 
finally  a  valley.  In  a  heavy  rainstorm  it  will  collect 
water  enough  to  plough  deeper  down,  until  the  rock 
base  of  this  great  bed  of  clay  and  sand  is  revealed. 

In  such  a  manner,  I  understand,  has  the  geological 
history  of  this  section  been  disclosed,  at  least,  if  I  read 
it  in  the  light  of  facts  obtained  by  our  overland  journey. 
But  if  I  descend  into  the  bottom  of  the  Congo  canon, 
and  look  up  to  the  precipitous  walls  of  solid  rock  that 
frequently  are  seen  rising  200  and  300  feet  (as  in  the 
Pocock  basin,  and  all  along  that  tortuous  narrow 
channel  between  Mpakambendi  and  Mbelo),  the  ages 
which  have  elapsed  since  the  plateau  above  was  frac- 
tured, carries  a  calculation  back  through  such  an  im- 
measurable time  that  one  wTould  fain  relegate  the  in- 
computable problem  to  those  savants  who  find  them- 
selves at  home  among  decimals  and  recondite  conjec- 
tures. I  can  see  watermarks  as  high  as  100  feet  above 
the  present  water-surface  ;  and  yet  the  highest  river 
rise  cannot  exceed  twenty  feet  above  its  present  level ! 
How  many  years  would  be  required  to  wear  away 


APPEARANCE  OF  MANYANGA. 


211 


rock  of  such  a  durable  nature  eighty  feet  down  ?  would  i88+. 
be  a  first  question.  There  is  also  lava  still  to  be  found  Mpangi 
at  low  water  about  Kalulu  Falls.  Whence  has  it  come  ? 
There  have  been  rock  slides,  as  well  as  earth  falls, 
and  at  the  Inkissi  Falls  one  may  see  a  complete  islet 
which  has  dropped  down,  or  rather  sunk,  an  intact 
mass  of  rock  and  earth,  a  clear  400  feet ! 

It  is  from  amid  such  scenes  as  this,  between  Mpangu 
and  Manyanga,  that  we  view  the  lofty  Mount  Beri ; 
in  the  distance  is  Sphynx  Eock,  a  little  to  the  east  of 
it  and  on  the  range  of  a  plain  grooved  deeply  by 
the  small  tributaries  of  the  Mpioga  river,  which 
empties  into  the  Congo  below  our  station  of  South 
Manyanga. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  land  so  fertile 
as  this,  and  yet  presenting  such  an  ungrateful  aspect. 
The  valleys  are  rich,  but  there  is  so  much  slope  of  red, 
hard,  sterile  clay  visible  everywhere  that  we  are  chilled 
to  the  heart,  as  though  we  were  looking  at  so  many 
blank  walls,  which  hid  a  fair  prospect  of  luxuriant 
gardens. 

We  stopped  long  enough  at  South  Manyanga  to 
enable  me  to  cross  over  to  North  Manyanga  and  measure 
the  amount  of  work  performed  during  my  absence  at 
that  station  since  its  foundation  in  1881.  I  found  it  in 
a  "  higgledy-piggledy "  state,  without  any  order  or 
design,  which  compelled  me  to  order  the  new  chief  to 
pull  it  all  down  and  rebuild  it  anew.  It  was  in  such 
a  backward  condition  that  any  station  a  month  old  on 
the  Upper  Congo  was  more  advanced.    And  yet  this 


212 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    place  alone  must  have  cost  the  Association  £10,000  ! 

April  2.  . 

Manyanga.  F°r  s,lcn  a  sum,  and  in  three  years,  a  European  with 
thirty  labourers  ought  to  have  been  able  to  present 
something  worth  viewing ;  but  here  was  a  "  hotch- 
potch "  of  rickety-looking  structures  which  one  would 
have  imagined  to  have  been  made  by  a  lot  of  poor 
squatters  preparatory  to  prospecting. 

Here  I  met  Mr.  Spencer  Burns  and  the  gallant  Croat, 
Mr.  Lehrman,  fresh  from  an  expedition  which  they 
had  made  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kwilu.  Mr.  Lehrman 
was  commissioned  with  the  command  of  PhilJippeville 
on  the  Kwilu-Niadi.  Mr.  Burns,  who  had  specially 
distinguished  himself  on  this  occasion,  was  sent  down  to 
Yivi  by  the  river,  while  his  natives  were  led  overland 
along  the  south  bank  by  myself. 

April  2nd. — We  continue  our  journey  from  South 
Manyanga  westward,  edging  away  from  the  chilly 
gorge,  over  the  well- washed  hills,  down  over  the  mur- 
muring waters  of  the  Ngaku,  and  up  along  steep  slopes 
to  the  more  fertile  levels  in  the  vicinity  of  Ndunga. 

A  few  miles  beyond  this  favoured  and  amiable  com- 
munity of  Xdunga  we  begin  the  descent  into  the  broad 
valley  of  Lukunga,  where  we  are  hospitably  received  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingham,  of  the  Livingstone  Mission.  I 
should  have  wished  that  my  "  chiefs,  ' who  have  affected 
to  labour  at  Manyanga,  had  seen  the  pretty  little  station 
which  this  soldier  missionary  had  constructed  with  half- 
a-dozen  men,  or  rather,  boys.  The  mission  cottage  was 
as  dainty  wTithin  as  any  residence  need  be.  A  spacious 
garden  behind  it  presented  a  vivid  promise ;  a  well- 


A  MISSION-HOME. 


213 


kept  court  or  plaza  in  front  was  surrounded  by  store-  1884. 
rooms,  kitchen,  and  schoolroom.  Under  the  shadowy  Lukanga 
eaves  were  to  be  seen  the  mission  children,  who  have 
a  striking  likeness  and  family  resemblance  to  the  black 
mission  children  seen  at  Zanzibar,  Sierra  Leone,  Old 
Calabar,  and  the  West  Indies.  They  have  the  same  sub- 
dued air,  as  though  they  were  impressed  with  the  awful 
mysteries  of  the  alphabet.  I  think  it  rather  encouraged 
me  to  believe  that  the  Congo  climate,  even  in  that  low 
hollow  of  Lukunga,  was  endurable,  when  I  here  saw  a 
delicate-looking  lady  bear  herself  so  bravely.  I  utter 
literal  truth  when  I  say  that  my  sojourn  for  twenty 
hours  was  enjoyed  with  the  most  exquisite  pleasure. 
Ten  men  might  have  utterly  stripped  and  carried 
away  the  veneer  of  civilisation  on  that  mission-house, 
and  left  it  bare  and  barbarous  ;  but  the  art  was  in 
the  lady's  hands,  and  the  rich  gift  of  taste,  inherited 
in  far-away  England,  had  diffused  attractiveness  over 
the  humble  home.  £100  was  probably  the  value  of 
all  I  saw,  but  then  the  £10,000  expended  at  Manyanga 
failed  to  excite  pleasure  or  admiration  in  my  thoughts. 

From  the  cheerful  mission-house  of  Lukunga  the 
caravan  climbed  the  steep  slopes  leading  up  to  the 
plateau-land  once  more.  A  day's  journey  carried  us 
over  miles  of  level  expanse,  which  might,  if  cultivated, 
supply  thousands  of  people  with  wheat  and  corn  ;  and 
if  its  dense  crops  of  wild,  tall  grasses  were  superseded 
by  what  industry  could  sow,  plant  and  build  over  the 
great  waste,  then  we  might  see  more  of  beauty  and 
richness  displaying  the  fertility  of  the  soil  better  than 


214 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    the  dead  monotony  of  aspect  which  now  enshrouds  its 

April  3.  . 

Vombo.  potent  powers  of  production. 

Yombo  is  situated  on  the  verge  of  one  of  these  plains 
overlooking  the  Lukunga  valley ;  Mwembe  stands  on 
its  western  edge.  The  next  day's  march  takes  us 
over  narrower  grassy  ridges  separated  by  small 
streams,  until  we  arrive  on  the  grass-robed  plain  of 
Muluangu,  whence  we  descend  into  the  trough  of  the 
Kwilu  River,  which  a  few  years  before  we  ascended 
in  the  steam-launch  Royal,  It  is  possible  to  descend 
to  the  Congo  from  the  ferry  of  Kondo,  but  the  navi- 
gator must  beware  of  hidden  snags. 

Beyond  the  Kwilu  we  discover  the  broad  valley  of 
the  Luima,  which  is  remarkable  for  its  exposed  bed  of 
calcite  and  shale  projections.  One  of  these  broader 
valleys  may  at  a  future  time  be  utilised  for  routes  to 
Stanley  Pool,  as  almost  all  these  rivers  start  from  a 
broad,  uniform  ridge,  which  is  the  wrater-parting  be- 
tween the  tributaries  of  the  Kwa  and  the  Congo. 

Between  the  valley  of  the  Luima  and  the  next  valley 
— that  of  the  Lunionzo — there  is  an  easy  pass  by 
which  a  railway  might  lead  from  Voonda  at  the  head 
of  the  long  reach  above  Isangila.  Crossing  the  Luni- 
onzo, we  pass  under  the  cool  sable  shades  of  Xtombo 
Lukuti  grove,  and  then  over  a  grassy  expanse  to  the 
station  of  Banza  Manteka.  Close  by  the  station  is  the 
settlement  of  the  Livingstone  Inland  Congo  Mission, 
in  a  steamv  hollow,  too  well  sheltered  from  the  breezes 
blowing  over  the  western  uplands. 

From  any  of  the  hilly  remnants  of  the  ancient  con- 


THE  LUFU  VALLEY. 


215 


tinuous  plateau  at  Banza  Manteka  we  see  the  groves 
of  many  villages,  such  as  Mubangu,  Banza  Nkosi,  Manteka 
Kinkanza,  Banza  Kulu,  Ntombo  Lukuti.  These  vil- 
lages are  great  producers  of  ground-nuts,  which  are 
carried  to  the  Lower  Congo  factories  to  exchange  for 
cloth  and  gin. 

Six  hours  took  us  from  Manteka  station  to  Isangila 
station,  where  I  witnessed  much  to  grieve  me,  in  the 
inertia  under  which  our  own  people  had  fallen  through 
the  lack  of  superintendence.  A  house  remained  still 
unroofed  that  had  been  fourteen  months  building.  Into 
the  store-house  the  rain  leaked  through  the  rotten 
grass  roof,  spoiling  a  valuable  stock  of  goods.  There 
were  over  400  bales  within,  yet  our  gentleman  in 
charge,  rather  than  add  to  the  grass  covering  or 
re-roof  it  completely — which  five  days  would  have 
done — preferred  to  unroll  the  bales  and  dry  the 
cloth ! 

The  next  valley  we  meet  westward  of  the  Ntombo 
Lukuti  is  that  of  the  Lufu,  a  considerable  stream  with 
a  rapid  current,  from  whose  woody  fringes  we  rise  to 
breast  rock-strewn  slopes  and  cross  pebble-sown  hill- 
summits,  until  after  a  short  series  of  these  we  thread 
the  twilight  aisles  of  a  forest-covered  mountain  side. 
Ascending  here  we  view  a, wild  world  of  ruined  upland, 
rent,  torn,  fissured  and  disfigured,  in  line  after  line, 
cone  after  cone,  top  after  top,  until  the  eye  is  fastened 
upon  Pallaballa,  and  Nokki,  and  Vivi,  at  such  distances 
that  we  distinguish  only  their  blanched  and  meagre 
outlines.    The  irregular  canon  of  the  Congo  is  traced 


210 


TEE  CONGO. 


1884.    far  below  Yivi.    On  the  south  side  lie  these  disinte- 
isangiia.  grated  heaps  of  utterly  useless  land.    On  the  north 
side    the  plateaus  of  Mgangila,  Sadika  Banzi,  and 
Kionzo  present  a  deceptive  appearance  of  level. 

What  a  lesson  about  the  climate  Europeans  could 
be  taught  from  this  tall  mountain  pulpit !  For  here 
they  have  before  them  at  one  glance  of  the  rough  and 
uninhabitable  land  the  causes  which  render  them  weak- 
knee'd  and  faint-hearted.  With  collapsing  frames  and 
stomachs  feebly  nourished  by  tough  goat-meat  and 
insipid  bananas,  they  press  on  over  those  heart-breaking 
hills,  with  the  endless  ascents  and  descents,  through 
winding  labyrinths  of  suffocatingly  tall  grass,  and  each 
time  they  emerge  into  light  and  glare  the  cruel  sun 
strikes  their  pale  and  tender  half-dressed  bodies,  burns 
their  white  arms,  scorches  their  necks,  and  roasts  their 
backs.  Presently  they  are  hid  from  sight  at  the 
bottom  of  grassy  tunnels,  to  issue  reeling  from  the 
terrible  atmosphere  of  reek  and  slop  and  humid  heat, 
to  quench  their  thirst  in  oceans  of  cold  water  from  the 
sparkling  runnels  that  thread  the  gullies.  Some  of 
them,  under  the  fiery  impulses  of  getting  on,  on,  and 
on,  will  march  their  fifteen  miles  per  day,  and  on  arriv- 
ing at  the  Pooi  at  the  end  of  their  journey,  they  will 
turn  round  and  deliberately  curse  the  land,  the  climate, 
and  the  people,  but  never  their  own  idiotic  frenzy. 
Yet,  if  I  could  take  them  through  such  a  land  as  this 
in  twenty-four  hours,  they  might  live  as  long  in  Africa 
as  in  moist  England.  These  are  the  men  who  in 
England  take  cabs  and  hansoms  to  drive  a  mile ; 


CONGO  LA  LEMBA. 


217 


who  partake  largely  of  beer  and  brandy ;  who  eat  188+. 
enormously  of  beef  and  mutton ;  whose  every  waking;  Congo  i 
hour  is  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the  kind  of  Lemba 
a  lunch  or  tiffin  they  will  take,  or  to  serious  medi- 
tations upon  the  best  viands  to  be  consumed  for  dinner  ; 
who  have  baths  frequently;  whose  hardest  labours 
have  been  inditing  scented  letters  to  friends;  and 
whose  happiest  moments  have  been  passed  in  ogling 
the  pretty  dames  of  the  theatre.    Surely,  then,  this 
sudden  rush,  this  frantic  pace,  these  endless  climbings 
and  furious  gulpings  of  water,  do  not  indicate  the 
wisest  course  to  adopt.     It  were  well  to  be  a  little 
more  cool  and  deliberate  in  movement  than  to  en- 
courage these  wanton  and  wilful  attempts  at  suicide. 

A  few  miles  beyond  we  come  to  Congo  la  Lemba, 
and  from  this  pleasant  village  we  descend  to  the  Luizi 
valley  and  river.  Yellala  mountain  is  in  view  on  our 
rights  and  Pallaballa  mountain  in  our  front.  The  latter 
we  have  to  climb  about  a  thousand  feet,  to  find  our- 
selves five  miles  from  Vivi,  on  a  height  1700  feet  above 
the  sea.  On  this  fortress-like  plateau  a  community  of 
natives,  in  the  midst  of  which  another  English  mission 
is  planted,  lives  in  peace  and  plenty.  Its  airs  are  cool, 
its  atmosphere  bland,  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  a  rich 
reddish  loam;  groves  of  tall  trees  crown  it,  affording  a 
grateful  shade;  plantations  of  bananas  and  clusters  of 
palms  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene  ;  and  good  and 
cool  water  is  found.  The  native  disposition  is  amiable ; 
the  mission  has  its  pupils ;  and  the  old  chief  Nozo 
has  erected  a  lodging-house  for  strangers,  a  miniature 


21S 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.    caravanserai,  the  walls  of  which  he  has  garnished 

April.  '  to 

>ng0  ia  with  ancient  chromographs  for  the  amusement  of  his 

Lemba. 

guests. 

We  rest  one  night  amid  this  respectable  community, 
and  take  the  road  next  morning  for  Vivi.  We  descend 
about  five  miles,  and  from  the  crest  of  a  hill  overlook- 


VI KW  OF  MPOZO  STATION  AND  RIVER  FROM  VIVI. 


ing  Yellala  Falls  we  view  the  upper  Yivi  Rapids,  Yivi 
Station,  and  all  the  well-known  features  of  the  locality. 
I  seat  myself,  glass  in  hand,  to  scan  what  improve- 
ments have  been  made  during  our  long  absence  in 
the  interior  ;  and  I  confess  with  regret  that  I  cease 
from  the  survey,  wishing  earnestly  that  T  could  sponge 
out  the  history  of  this  unhappy  place  from  my  tablet 


VIVI  IN  NEGLECT. 


219 


of  facts.  Were  it  possible  to  do  so,  I  should  be  relieved  1884. 
from  a  burden  of  knowledge  which  infects  my  opinion  Vivh 
of  the  Europeans.  It  is  unnecessary  to  select  and 
specify  which  of  these  from  among  the  many  deserve 
the  lash  of  censure  for  their  ineptitude.  From  among 
the  currents  of  European  life  that  streamed  to  Vivi 
in  the  course  of  five  years,  some  were  fixed  here 
mainly  by  their  own  election,  others  by  appointment. 
But,  like  him  who  sat  and  brooded  and  grieved  over 
the  ruins  of  Carthage,  I  can  only  grieve  that  my 
memory  is  haunted  by  so  many  shadows  of  puerile 
manhood,  and  of  figures  of  youth  without  substance. 
I  have  wistfully  searched  for  one  small  evidence  of 
progress ;  one  finite  proof  that  a  strong  and  willing 
soul  has  attempted  to  modify  the  pristine  ruggedness 
of  the  place,  or  wrestled  with  its  wilfulness  of  irregu- 
larity. Were  it  but  a  yard  of  graded  roadway  even, 
or  a  rocky  obstruction  pulverized  or  removed,  I  should 
be  grateful.  But,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  not  even  a 
hut  has  been  thatched.  What  a  poor  result  after  the 
passage  of  260  Europeans  of  all  nationalities  through 
the  station  !  Grieving  and  sad  at  heart,  I  continue 
my  descent  to  Mpozo  Station,  whence  I  take  boat,  and 
cross  over  the  Congo  to  Vivi. 


220 


THE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

TO  OSTEND. 

Climate  and  conduct — Vivi  in  confusion — A  cure  for  sham  illness — 
Eemoval  of  the  station — Description  of  the  changes  at  Vivi — General 
Gordon's  probable  work — I  embark  on  the  Kinsembo — Loango — Sette 
Camma — Coast  trade — Gaboon  Gulf — Fernando  Po — The  Cameroons 
— Duke  Town — Exploring  a  great  "  oil "  river — Native  chiefs  buying 
iron  houses — Bonny — Lagos — Quetta — Sierra  Leone — My  arrival  in 
London — Eeport  to  H.M.  the  King  of  the  Belgians. 

1884.  Ox  the  Upper  Congo  the  marvellous  richness  of  the 
y1V]'  soil  seemed  to  have  infused  something  of  its  own  prolific 
vigour  into  the  souls  of  the  gallant  young  gentlemen 
at  Equator  Station,  Kinshassa,  Leopoldville,  Mswata, 
and  those  detailed  for  other  duties  than  station 
building ;  and  I  presume,  if  this  is  true,  then  the  ste- 
rility of  the  soil  around  "Vivi,  and  the  hard,  stern 
profiles  of  naked  hills,  had  dwarfed  and  contracted  the 
souls  of  those  at  the  latter  station.  There  are  people 
who  are  so  impressionable  that  they  reflect  their 
surroundings.  In  England,  with  its  moist  climate, 
I  am  told  there  is  a  vast  majority  of  people  who 
are  afflicted '  with  a  desire  to  moisten  their  throats 
continually  with  beer ;  and  I  believe  Belgium  and 
Germany  are  very  much  alike  in  that  respect.  But 


THE  STATE  OF  VIVI. 


221 


in  the  dry  Arab  lands  we  have  a  people  who  drink  1884. 
but  rarely ;  in  the  moist  climate  of  the  palmy  Congo  Vivi. 
land  palm-wine  is  drunk  in  prodigious  quantities ;  but 
south  of  the  Zambesi  we  have  people  who  drink  but 
little  save  a  small  quantity  of  milk,  or  occasionally 
water.  Well,  then,  perhaps  it  is  the  barrenness  of 
Vivi  to  which  the  barrenness  of  results  of  five  years' 
labour  may  be  attributed  ! 

On  landing  on  its  shores  I  find  that  the  gentlemen 
of  Vivi  have  erected  a  store-room  and  residence  for 
the  accountant,  close  to  the  "beach."  The  material 
mostly  has  been  taken  from  a  frame  mansion-house, 
costing  £2000,  the  other  portion  of  which  has  been 
lying  nine  months  about,  and  no  one  seems  to 
know  why  it  came,  or  what  its  purpose  was.  Letters 
from  Europe  informed  them  it  was  for  a  hotel  lor  the 
residents'  comfort  and  convenience  ;  but  then,  to  a  lot 
of  people  without  a  leader,  of  what  use  can  it  possibly 
be  ?  So  the  accountant  shall  have  his  share  of  it ;  the 
carpenter  may  build  a  shed  out  of  it;  the  hospital 
may  have  other  fragments  of  it,  and  the  rest  may  rot ! 

I  ascend  the  original  road  which  was  made  five 
'years  ago  for  temporary  convenience,  to  roll  my 
wagons  up,  and  I  see  that  it  has  remained  untouched 
to  this  day.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  there  are  two 
houses  less  than  I  built ;  the  garden  is  a  waste,  the 
fence  broken  down,  the  mangoes  and  papaws  and 
oranges  and  tropic  pears  are  now  large  trees,  but 
then  that  is  Nature's  work.  The  houses  look  squalid, 
dilapidated  and  unpainted.    There  are  about  twenty- 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.  five  whites,  most  of  whom  appear  as  if  they  did 
Vivi.  not  know  how  on  earth  they  came,  or  what 
business  they  had  there.  A  few  bear  a  truculent 
scowl  on  their  faces,  as  though  they  were  labouring 
under  an  uncommon  load  of  trouble,  which  they 
would  gladly  shuffle  off'  in  some  manner.  At  the 
table  cThote  I  find  them  all  assembled,  and  when  the 
red  wine  of  Portugal  has  taken  due  effect  there  is 
a  strain  of  vivacity  perceptible  in  their  manner,  and 
when  the  meal  is  finished  many  of  them  hasten  to  bed, 
even  in  mid-day.  Wine  and  heat,  I  observe,  make 
them  somnolent.  I  do  not  see  any  work  performed, 
although  perhaps  the  coloured  labourers  may  be  doing 
something  in  a  shiftless  manner,  since  no  European  is 
supervising  them. 

In  the  morning,  when  the  matin-bell  sounds  to 
muster,  I  observe  there  is  an  extraordinary  sick-list; 
about  thirty -five  of  the  coloured  people  require  boluses, 
potions  and  salves — just  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  entire 
force  !  Fearing  an  epidemic  is  raging  of  which  I  had 
heard  no  report,  I  examine  more  closely  into  their 
faces,  and  find — for  seventeen  years  amongst  black 
people  furnish  one  with  a  great  deal  of  knowledge 
respecting  negro  characteristics — that  the  colour  is 
rich,  and  their  skins  freely  effusing  oil,  the  eyes  are 
bright  also,  although  the  contortions  of  pain  evinced 
by  their  features  are  enough  to  evoke  pity.  The 
veterans  from  up-river,  inured  to  toil,  and  who  are 
models  of  discipline,  understand  a  certain  signal,  and 
the  steady  approach  of  a  dozen  of  these  in  martial 


CURING  SHAM  SICKNESS. 


223 


array  attracts  the  attention  of  the  sick,  the  crippled,  1884. 
the  cholical  and  the  dysenteric  patients,  who  no  sooner  Vivi> 
see  them  coming  than  with  a  rush  the  doctor's  window 
is  cleared.  Duke  Humphrey  of  Grlo'ster's  miraculous 
cure  was  only  performed  on  one  man,  but  here  were 
thirty  feeble  creatures  restored  to  perfect  health  by 
merely  looking  at  a  few  men  gravely  advancing 
towards  them  ! 

Shocked  by  the  condition  of  Yivi,  I  resolved  to 
remove  it  bodily  away  to  the  larger  plateau.  Pre- 
paratory to  this  a  new  road  was  made,  with  an  easy 
grade  to  the  Xkusu,  which  was  spanned  by  a  bridge. 
We  then  lay  a  Decauville  railway  between  the  two 
plateaus,  and  the  work  of  construction  of  the  new 
station  was  commenced. 

The  new  Upper  Congo  steamer  having  been  dis- 
mantled, was  placed  on  its  several  wagons  and  rolled 
up  the  hills  from  the  landing-place  to  the  plateau,  and 
Lieutenant  Yalcke  having  returned  from  his  temporary 
leave  of  absence,  was  constituted  chief  of  the  transport 
force,  to  convey  the  steamer  to  Stanley  Pool. 

Reorganisation  of  the  staff  was  urgently  required. 
Many  of  the  Europeans  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
their  work  or  of  their  duties.  This  was  all  due,  of 
course,  to  the  fact  that  the  Chief  of  the  Expedition 
had  been  absent,  and  no  fit  person  had  appeared  able 
to  maintain  Yivi  in  order,  and  to  control  such  a  large 
number  of  undisciplined  whites  fresh  from  their  homes 
in  all  lands. 

The  following  quotations  from  letters  to  the  Pre- 


224 


THE  CON  GO. 


1884.    sident  of  the  Association  will  serve  to  explain  this 

April. 

Vivi     and  several  other  matters. 

"  Mr.  E.  Massey  Shaw  has  been  appointed  Chief  of  Vivi  Station,  and 
Mr.  John  Eose  Troup  Chief  of  Police. 

"  Major  Parmenter,  who  was  the  most  superior  chief  of  Vivi  we  have 
had  yet,  was  obliged  to  retire  owing  to  domestic  matters  at  home.  He 
was  a  man  of  luarvellous  industry,  but  the  regret  of  it  is  that  1  have 
lost  him  just  as  he  was  restoring  this  place  to  order,  which  needs  a  strong 
man. 

"Mons.  Monet's  capabilities  are  of  a  very  high  order.  He  fills  the 
place  of  the  retiring  accountant.  Mons.  del  Comune  is  the  Chief 
Transport  Agent  of  the  Lower  Congo,  and  I  feel  assured  the  Expedition 
will  feel  the  benefit  of  this  change.  His  headquarters  will  be  at  Boma, 
and  he  will  be  responsible  for  all  goods  received  in  future,  and  for  the 
good  behaviour  of  the  staff  on  the  steamers." 


"  Vrvi,  23rd  April 

"  Two  days  ago  I  reached  Vivi,  and  I  have  been  since  in  a  fever  of 
dismay  at  what  I  have  seen  here.  The  buildings  are  precisely  as  they  stood 
in  1882.  I  exempt  the  accountant's,  of  course,  which  does  look  pass- 
able. I  found  twTenty-nve  whites  here.  The  new  house,  which  cost  29,000 
francs,  is  utterly  ruined,  many  sections  of  it  having  been  employed  for 
trivial  and  pitiful  purposes.  I  am  informed  by  a  humorous  person  that 
each  of  the  many  chiefs  who  have  retired  during  the  several  months 
that  have  elapsed  since  its  arrival  has  expressed  boundless  thanks  for 
the  gift  of  the  timely  and  munificent  donation.  What  is  left  of  it,  how- 
ever, now  will  make  a  small  frame-house  or  cabin  thirty-five  feet  long. 

"  Two  events  occurred  to-day  which  inform  one  greatly  of  the  state  of 
mind  these  young  gentlemen  are  in  who  have  been  so  long  without  a  leader. 
One  declares  that  he  will  not  leave  the  station,  though  he  has  been  dis- 
missed for  four  gross  offences,  and  mutters  strangely  about  violence. 
Another  says, '  Well,  I  don't  care ;  I  will  go  and  do  that  little  job  at 
Boma,  then  I  will  go  home  and  explain  to  the  ComiteV 

"  At  dinner-time  I  took  advantage  of  their  presence  and  delivered  a 
lecture  to  them  upon  the  lamentable  state  I  discovered  the  station  and 
themselves  were  in.  I  sketched  out  the  state  of  Vivi  as  I  left  it,  and 
how  I  found  it.  I  repeated  the  dismal  tale  of  changes  and  scenes  that 
had  occurred  in  my  abseDce.  I  took  the  trouble  of  defining  what  was 
generally  understood  by  the  term  duty,  and  how  each  was  legally  and 
morally  bound  to  perform  that  which  he  had  contracted  to  do  to  the  best 
of  his  ability.  Mine  was  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  Committee ;  theirs 
to  abide  by  their  contracts;  if  they  failed  to  do  so  they  must  abide  the 
consequences. 

"  I  had  arrived  at  Yivi  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  before  leaving  the 


GENERAL  GORDON. 


225 


command  of  the  Expedition  to  General  Gordon,  who  will  be  as  little  1884. 
likely  to  sympathise  with  indolence  and  thriftlessness  as  I  am.  A,>"1  2 

"  We  have  been  so  extremely  patient,  paternal  and  lenient  with  them,     ^  lvi* 
and  they  have  been  left  so  long  without  a  chief,  that  the  conduct  of 
#  some  of  them  has  been  most  shameful. 

"  The  new  steamer  Ville  d'Anvers  is  a  capital  little  steamer,  and  exceed- 
ingly staunch.    If  well  looked  after  she  will  be  a  great  acquisition. 

"  ie  Stanhij,  stern  wheeler  for  the  Upper  Congo,  will  be  at  once  dis- 
mantled for  transport  to  her  destination. 

"  Mons.  del  Commune  has  to-day  informed  me  that  he  has  treated  suc- 
cessfully with  the  natives  of  Boma  for  the  Protectorate.  Mods.  Kirk- 
hoven  has  extended  our  territory  until  Yivi  is  now  joined  to  Boma. 

"  Between  Nokki  and  Stanley  Pool  the  sovereignty  has  been  ceded  to 
the  Association  by  the  native  chiefs.    Thus,  from  Boma  to  the  Lubamba 


MONS.  DEL  COMMUNE. 


River  on  the  right  bank,  and  thence  north  to  the  Kwilu — Niadi,  through 
the  efforts  of  HaosseDs,  Van  de  Yelde,  Destrain,  Mickic,  Grant  Elliott, 
and  Spencer  Burns,  the  territory  is  all  one — intact ;  and  from  Nokki  on 
the  left  bank  to  Stanley  Falls.  Such  places  as  are  already  unoccupied 
on  the  left  bank  Hanssens  will  complete  by  July.  Signor  Massari  goes 
up  the  Kwa  to  perform  the  same  services  for  our  political  interests. 

"While  coming  down  the  south  bank,  I  learned  enough  to  satisfy  me 
that  three-fourths  of  the  transport  required  for  up  river  will  be  accom- 
plished by  our  enlistments  of  natives ;  the  rest  will  go  up  by  north  bank 
as  before.  Yoonda  Station,  on  south  bank,  will  be  established  to  give 
more  employment  to  the  boats  on  the  mid-section  of  river. 

"  I  beg  to  enclose  copies  of  the  Treaties  securiDg  the  sovereignty  to  the 
Association  of  all  the  districts  between  Nokki  and  Stanley  Pool.  All 


Vol.  II.— 15 


226 


THE  CONGO. 


has  been  done  that  is  possible  on  the  Congo,  and  Europe  should  be  the 
theatre  of  operations  now  to  secure  the  recognition  of  the  Association  by 
the  Powers. 

"  I  am  obliged  to  express  my  surprise  that  in  the  letter  announcing  the 
immediate  departure  from  Europe  of  General  Gordon  for  the  Congo,  no 
instructions  are  furnished  to  me  as  to  what  his  particular  mission  is  to 
be  here.  It  would  be  desirable  in  a  matter  of  such  importance  to  be  told 
whether  he  is  to  be  Chief  of  the  Expedition,  Director-General,  Adminis- 
trator, Special  Commissioner,  &c,  &c.  I  have  received  only  a  few  brief 
words  introducing  a  man  already  well  known  to  me.  Before  turning 
over  the  command  to  him,  it  would  be  well  for  me  to  know  precisely  how 
to  address  him  in  clear  and  distinct  phrase.  Finally,  the  letter*  I  received 


LA  VILLE   d'aNVERS  STEAMER. 


from  himself  makes  it  still  more  difficult  forme  to  understand  his  mission. 
I  gather  from  him  that  he  has  some  views  hostile  to  the  slave-trade  in 
the  Soudan.    A  very  laudable  purpose,  undoubtedly,  but  I  am  not  told 

"  Brussels,  6th  January,  1884. 

"My  Dear  Mr.  Stanley, — 

"  His  Majesty  has  asked  me  to  go  out  and  join  you  in 
your  work,  which  I  have  gladly  assented  to,  and  come  from  Lisbon  on 
5th  February.  I  will  serve  willingly  with  and  under  you,  and  I  hope  vou 
will  stay  on,  and  we  will,  God  helping,  kill  the  slave-traders  in  their  haunt, 


GENERAL  GORDON'S  INTENTIONS. 


227 


whether  we  are  to  abandon  the  Congo,  and  be  diverted  from  our  work  of  1884. 
settling,  extending,  and  consolidating  along  this  river,  to  make  raids  APril  23- 
upon  Soudanese  slave-traders  in  the  Nile  basin.    In  short,  the  whole  Vivi- 
affair  is  very  mysterious  to  me. 

"  As  I  have  already  intimated  to  the  Committee  in  October,  1882, 
January,  July,  August,  1883,  and  January.  1884,  my  intention  of  leaving 
the  Congo,  according  to  the  original  understanding  at  Brussels  in  1878,  I 
have  arrived  at  Vivi,  in  the  strong  hope  that  I  should  find  General 
Gordon  here  ;  but  I  hear  by  this  last  mail  that  he  has  accepted  a  com- 
mission under  the  British  Government  to  go  to  the  Soudan.  I  am  com- 
pelled to  stay  here  then  until  I  am  relieved  by  a  fit  person." 

"Vivi,  lltfi  May,  1884. 

"  Colonel  de  Winton  arrived  here  a  few  days  ago,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  occupied  in  acquiring  the  knowledge  of  the  details  necessary 
for  comprehending  thoroughly  the  situation. 

"  Though  it  is  better  late  than  never,  I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing 
my  keen  regret  that  such  a  person  as  Col.  de  Winton  was  not  sent  fifteen 
months  ago  to  assist  me. 

"  I  hope  to  be  able  to  leave  the  Congo  about  the  latter  part  of  this 
month,  by  which  time  Col.  de  Winton  will  have  understood  his  duties, 
and  grasped  the  situation.  It  will  be  well  to  remember  that  Sir  Francis 
de  Winton,  as  Chief  of  the  Expedition,  cannot  leave  the  Lower  Congo, 
otherwise  the  troubles  of  Vivi  will  commence  again.  An  occasional 
residence  at  Leopoldville,  and  an  inspection  of  the  intermediate  route, 
will  be  all  that  is  necessary.  You  may  rely  on  Capt.  Hanssens  fulfilling 
his  mission  well  on  the  Upper  Congo." 

"Vivi,  June  2nd,  1884. 

"The  new  station  at  Vivi  is  advancing  rapidly.  Five  houses  have 
been  erected,  and  a  banana  plantation  set  out.  The  bridge  is  a  great 
success.  A  railway  connects  old  Vivi  with  the  new  place,  though  to  be 
completed  we  ought  to  have  about  500  yards  more  of  rails. 

"  The  steamer  Le  Stanley  is  now  six  miles  from  here.  The  hauling 
force  numbers  269,  of  whom  10  per  cent,  will  be  daily  ailing." 


for  if  we  act  together  in  the  countries  where  they  hunt,  and  make  treaties 
with  the  chiefs,  we  can  prevent  their  raids  and  truly  stop  the  slave-trade, 
All  the  slavers  are  now  engaged  with  Baker  &  Co.,  and  so  if  we  can  (D.  V.) 
push  on  we  will  find  the  field  free. 

"  No  such  efficacious  means  of  cutting  at  root  of  slave-trade  ever  was 
presented  as  that  which  God  has,  I  trust,  opened  out  to  us  through  the 
kind  disinterestedness  of  His  Majesty. 

"  Yours  sincerely,  in  haste, 

"(Signed)  C.  G.  Gordon." 


228 


TEE  CONGO. 


j84  "  Banana  Point,  Jane  Sth,  1884. 

ae  8.       (l  j  jiave  to  inform  y0U  that  I  left  Vivi  on  the  6th  of  June,  accompanied 
na  l>t  by  Col.  Sir  Francis  de  Winton.    At  Boma  I  saw  your  new  Sanatorium. 
I  admire  very  much  the  building  and  its  position,  and  Dr.  AUard's 
devotedness  and  provision  for  sick  men's  comforts  deserve  great  praise. 
It  is  really  like  a  respectable  hotel." 


CAPT.  HANSSENS. 

On  the  10th  of  June  the  British  and  African 
steamer  Kinsembo  departed  from  Banana  Creek  north- 
ward along  the  coast,  and  as  I  had  a  strong  curiosity 
to  understand  more  of  West  Africa,  and  to  compare 
it  with  the  Congo  banks,  I  proceeded  with  her  as 
a  passenger.  I  do  not  propose  to  give  more  than  a 
few  useful  jottings  by  the  way. 


LANDANA. 


229 


Seven  hours'  steaming  brought  us  to  Landana,  a  1884. 

June  10. 

beautiful  place  judging  from  the  external  view.  White  Landana. 
factories,  alternate  with  dark  green  masses  of  vege- 
tation. From  the  summit  of  a  tree-clothed  upland 
peeps  out  the  mission  of  the  French  peres,  whose 
gardens  and  orchards  of  fruit-trees  are  admired  by  all 
visitors.    The  next  day  at  4  p.m.  we  halt  at  a  cluster 


LANDANA. 

of  factories  called  Black  Point,  and  after  receiving 
a  certain  amount  of  produce,  pass  on  to  Loango, 
which  we  reach  at  noon  on  the  12th.  Here  I  receive 
reports  from  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  KwTilu-Niadi 
division.  On  the  13th  we  anchor  abreast  of  Myumba, 
or  Mayomba,  a  fine  baylet  open  to  the  west,  and 
the  next  day's  run  brings  us  to  Sette  Camma,  situate 


230 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.  south  of  a  river  called  Sette.  The  huge  breakers 
[yumb^  rolling  and  pounding  the  shore  do  not  deter  the 
shippers,  who  bring  puncheons  of  palm-oil  and  rubber, 
and  a  young  gorilla  on  board.  The  15th  brings  us 
to  Inipango,  where  there  is  a  custom-house  established, 
as  we  have  now  entered  abreast  the  Gaboon  colony. 
On  the  16th  we  arrive  in  the  Gaboon  Gulf,  and 


FROM  AMBRIZ  TO  THE  CAMEROOSTS. 


anchor  abreast  of  the  town  of  that  name,  which  is 
the  seat  of  Government  for  the  French  colony.  There 
are  also  present  in  the  roadstead  a  guardship  and 
three  French  men-of-war,  four  colliers,  a  few  small 
coast  and  harbour  steamers  and  lighters.  On  shore, 
conspicuously  in  view,  are  three  brickbuilt  Government 
buildings,  a  brick  church  with  a  corrugated  iron 
roof,  a  great  pile  of  coal,  and  the  commencement  of 


FERNANDO  PO. 


231 


the  erection  of  a  stone  pier.    An  irregular  line  of  1884. 

June  15. 

buildings  attached  to  eight  or  ten  factories,  a  French  Gaboon. 
(Catholic),  and  an  American  (Protestant)  mission, 
with  a  small  store  or  two,  and  a  boarding-house,  show 
us  the  whole  of  the  French  settlement  established 
since  1842.  Mangoes  planted  perhaps  some  sixteen  or 
twenty  years  ago  are  also  conspicuous  for  their  globes 
of  dense  foliage,  and  are  seen  in  uniform  lines  in  front 
of  the  mission  and  public  buildings.  Altogether  the 
aspect  of  the  place  is  pretty  and  agreeable.  The 
little  hills  along  the  shore,  dotted  with  white  houses 
and  green  groves,  shining  clear  amid  tropical  vege- 
tation, assist  the  general  attractiveness  of  the  view. 

On  the  18th  we  arrived  at  Elobey  Island  (Spanish), 
situated  at  the  entrance  to  the  River  Muni  in  Corisco 
Bay.  The  island  is  about  an  hour  and  a  half s  march 
in  circumference.  German  and  English  factories 
absorb  most  of  the  trade,  which  is  all  similar  in 
character.  Four  or  five  small  steamers  coast  about 
collecting  produce. 

From  Elobey  Islet  we  strike  west  to  deep  water, 
and  rounding  Cape  S.  Juan  bear  northward  to 
Fernando  Po,  a  lofty  island  in  the  Bight  of  Benin. 
We  anchor  in  Clarence  Cove,  a  rifle-shot  distance 
from  shore.  The  island  is  called  after  its  discoverer 
Fernando-Poo,  a  Portuguese.  It  is  about  600  square 
miles  in  superficial  extent,  and  principally  famous  for 
its  towering  cone,  whose  summit  is  10,190  feet  above 
the  sea.  Westward  about  twenty  miles  the  Mount 
Albert  of  the  Carneroons  Mountains  begins,  and  lifts 


232 


THE  CONGO. 


1884.  its  bold  outline  to  the  height  of  13,800  feet.  The 
Fernando  lower  slopes  and  shores  of  Fernando  Po  are  a  marvel 
of  tropical  vegetation  ;  but  the  upper  tracts  appear  to 
be  grassy  and  denuded  of  trees.  The  inhabitants  seem 
to  be  more  degraded  and  forbidding  in  features  than 
any  I  have  seen  in  Congo-lands. 

The  21st  of  June  we  arrived  at  Duke  Town  in  the 
Old  Calabar  or  Cross  River.    This  is  said  to  be  one 


OLD  CALABAR  FACTORIES,  NEAR  DUKE  TOWN. 

of  the  best  oil-producing  rivers.  About  500  casks 
of  palm-oil  had  been  shipped  only  a  week  before  we 
arrived,  and  there  was  a  freight  of  300  casks  ready 
for  the  Kinsembo.  As  a  cask  weighs  about  15  cwt., 
it  may  be  imagined  what  tonnage  of  palm  oil  leaves 
this  river. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  traders  I  was  enabled 
to  proceed  up  and  6 'explore"  this  oil  river.  For 


EXPLORING  AN  OIL  RIVER. 


233 


company  I  had  Mr.  James  Mimroe,  Dr.  Mackenzie,  188+. 
Mr.-  Albert  Grillis,  and  Captain  Jolly,  of  the  Kinsembo.  Duke 
I  saw  Creek  Town,  and  a  Scotch  mission  there.  We  Town' 
wandered  amid  sea-washed  creeks,  and  then  returned 
to  Duke  Town.  The  sketch  on  the  opposite  page  will 
enable  the  reader  to  imagine  Duke  Town.  But  what 
struck  me  was  its  miniature  reproduction  of  the 
Upper  Congo.  Could  I  have  been  suddenly  lifted 
in  the  En  Avant  at  night,  and  deposited  on  the  river 
near  Ikunitu,  I  should  have  seen  nothing  very  dif- 
ferent to  the  scenes  which  the  darkness  of  ni^ht  had 
hidden  from  me.  There  were  the  same  palms,  perpen- 
dicular, inclined,  .or  fallen  over  into  the  stream ;  the 
same  density  of  forest,  the  same  sweetly  green  verdure, 
the  same  rich  reddish  loam,  the  same  kind  of  clear- 
ings, and  the  same  architecture  of  huts.  But  at  Duke 
Town  and  Creek  Town  I  observed  a  sight  which  was 
priceless  to  me.  I  saw  that  the  residences  of  the 
native  chiefs  had  been  constructed  in  England,  and 
transported  section  by  section  and  erected  here — one 
costing  £4000,  one  £3000,  one  £2000.  This  was  the 
result  of  peaceful  barter  of  palm-oil — corrugated  iron 
buildings  for  African  chiefs  !  They  were  furnished, 
too,  in  European  style  with  carpets,  chairs,  mirrors  and 
window  curtains !  Conquer  that  horror  of  the  march 
from  Yivi  to  the  Stanley  Pool,  and  I  can  conceive  Ngal- 
yema,  Makabi,  Bank w a,  Ibaka,  Mangombo,  Mugwala, 
Mata  Bwyki,  and  a  host  of  Upper  Congo  chiefs  order- 
ing corrugated  iron  houses  and  furniture  from  Europe 
for  their  ivory,  their  palm-oil,  their  rubber,  their  gum, 


234 


TEE  COXGO. 


1884.    camwood  powder,  orchilla  weed,  beeswax,  grains  and 

une  24. 

Duke  spices.  Duke  Town  snows  now  remarkable  a  civil iser 
is  fair  trade.  There  is  no  government  here.  Now 
and  then  a  man-of-war  steams  up  and  returns.  The 
Consul  was  absent,  but  still  all  lived  in  unity  and 
concord. 

On  the  28th  of  June  the  Kinsembo  anchored  in 
Bonny  River.  The  great  hulk  Adriatic,  commanded 
by  Captain  Bell,  lilts  its  giant  form,  and  displays  the 
magnificent  model  of  one  of  the  old  Collins's  Trans- 
Atlantic  steamers.  At  Bonny,  also,  there  are  houses 
worth  £3000,  owned  by  native  chiefs.  There  is  a 
cluster  of  factories  on  shore  :  numbers  of  old  hulks 
are  in  the  river,  and  a  prosperous  trade  seems  to  keep 
every  one  busy  in  one  of  the  saddest  and  most  gloomy 
climates  I  have  ever  experienced.  The  great  fear  of 
the  climate,  however,  is  vanishing  from  the  minds  of 
men.  The  factors  live  well,  and  in  comfortable  houses. 
It  is  the  fashion  now  to  build  corrugated  iron  houses, 
framed  within  with  wood,  and  appropriately  furnished. 
One  inhabited  by  Mr.  TVhitehouse,  50  by  34  feet, 
possessed  a  covered  verandah  11  feet  broad,  which 
is  as  near  perfection  as  the  genius  of  its  designer  had 
attained.  Another  story  added,  and  each  story  three 
feet  higher,  with  uniform  and  prudent  life,  and  a  fuller 
conquest  would  be  achieved  over  the  vitiated  and 
destructive  atmosphere  which  clings  to  the  muddy 
shores  of  the  rivers  in  the  Bight  of  Benin. 

From  Bonny  River,  which  is  the  main  channel  to 
Xew   Calabar   River,   we   proceed   north-west,  and 


\ 


FROM  THE  NIGER  TO  OS  TEND. 


235 


anchor  on  the  2nd  of  July  in  the  roadstead  ten  miles  1884. 
off  Benin  River.  Benin  B, 

The  steamers  Biafra,  Dodo,  and  Formosa,  were 
discovered  at  anchor.  While  rolling*  in  the  troughs 
of  large  and  languid  sea-waves  undulating  shoreward, 


4Q   30  2Q  10   O  10 


FROM  THE  NIGER  TO  OSTEND. 


the  produce  from  the  Benin  River  conveyed  by  the 
Dodo  was  transferred  to  the  Kinsembo,  while  continued 
rains  wetted  the  decks  and  cargo,  and  imparted  a 
gloomy  feeling  by  their  tedious  monotony.    The  next 


236 


THE  CONGO. 


day  the  SS.  Loanda  appeared  from  England  with 
dates  up  to  the  11th  of  June. 

On  the  5th  we  passed  Lagos  roadstead,  where  three 
steamers  and  two  sailing  vessels  were  at  anchor,  and 
on  the  6th  we  arrived  off  Quettah.  By  this  time  the 
Kinsembo,  collecting  produce  at  these  various  small 
ports,  had  been  well  nigh  filled  by  the  bountiful  ship- 
ments from  the  Bonny  and  Benin  Rivers.  Nun 
River,  the  main  channel  of  the  Niger,  we  did  not  see, 
owing  to  the  inscrutable  bye- laws  which  govern  these 
various  steamship  lines  from  Liverpool.  The  local 
news  at  Quettah  is  that  a  white  man  has  been 
sentenced  to  eighteen  months'  imprisonment  for  whip- 
ping a  negro  !  At  Bay  Beach  we  passed  the  Mowe, 
a  German  war  vessel,  at  anchor. 

On  the  12th  we  arrived  at  Sierra  Leone.  My 
friend,  the  harbonr-raaster,  who  once  mistook  my 
steamer  for  a  pirate  ship,  is  still  flourishing,  and  Her 
Majesty's  coloured  subjects  still  continue  to  dwTell  with 
exasperating  emphasis  on  the  merits  of  "  this  colony." 
Captain  Jolly,  of  the  Kinsembo  %  however,  differs  from 
the  coloured  gentlemen  of  Sierra  Leone.  He  obtained 
a  slight  hint  that  there  was  a  pestilence  in  the  town, 
and  hastily  proceeded  to  sea  after  only  a  three  hours' 
stoppage,  and  we  thus  saw  the  last  of  the  African 
continent, 

On  the  29th  of  July  the  directing  managers  of  the 
British  and  African  Steamship  Company  kindly  per- 
mitted the  Kinsembo  to  land  me  at  Plymouth,  whence 
I  hastened  to  London.    Four  days  later  I  presented 


REPORT  TO.  HM.  KING  LEOPOLD. 


237 


my  report  to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  i884. 
who  was  spending  the  summer  at  Ostend,  that  the  gjrra 
mission  he  had  given  me  to  perform  in  the  Congo  Leone' 
Basin  was  accomplished,  with  vastly  greater  success 
than  the  most  sanguine  of  those  gentlemen  who  sat 
in  the  Council  held  at  the  Royal  Palace  in  Decem- 
ber, 1878,  could  ever  have  anticipated;  and  I  have  no 
reason  to  believe  that  His  Majesty  was  displeased  with 
the  results  of  these  long  years  of  bitter  labour. 


238 


TEE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

EUROPEANS  IN  AFRICA. 

European  opinion  of  African  life — Repelled  by  the  absence  of  comforts — 
"Amour  propre"  and  "susceptibilities" — Few  heroes  of  labour — 
Extravagant  hopes — "Bah!  I  did  not  come  for  work" — Types  of 
neglected  and  prosperous  stations  ■ —  Malingering  —  Unintelligent 
workers — "  Nothing  like  whisky  ! " — "  Sojering  " — A  happier  theme 
— The  earnest  workers  of  the  expedition— New  aspirants — Young 
officers  in  search  of  adventures — A  sad  accident — Our  physician — A 
plucky  Scot — The  way  to  gain  a  good  reputation. 

Europeans  "  Wijen  in  FJurope  we  were  men  who  believed  ourselves 

in  Africa.  L 

capable  of  heroic  work  and  immense  effort,  could  we 
but  have  the  opportunity  of  proving  our  strength,  our 
natural  wit,  our  native  valour,  onr  acquired  intelligence, 
and  our  fortitude  under  privations  ;  but,  alas !  when 
we  landed  in  Africa,  we  discovered  that  most  of  us 
were  without  nerve,  without  wit  or  fortitude ;  that 
our  strength  and  much  of  our  native  valour  on  which 
we  had  prided  ourselves  had  vanished,  and  that  our 
acquired  intelligence  was  valueless,  since  we  had 
never  known  the  practical  art  of  living  away  from  the 
guardianship  and  sympathy  of  our  parents ;  and  when 
privations  confronted  us  we  completely  collapsed." 
Such  a  confession  might  be  truthfully  written  by  some 


AFRICAN  LIFE. 


of  the  young  men  who  returned  home,  after  the  dis-  Europeans 
covery  that  they  had  simply  been  seduced  by  their  own 
fancies  and  super-fervid  imaginations  to  believe  that 
their  limited  experience  of  a  few  smoothly  gliding 
years  in  their  own  perfect  lands  had  prepared  them 
for  the  rough  life  of  the  pioneer  in  Equatorial  Africa. 

As  they  appeared  on  the  Congo,  one  after  another, 
singly  or  in  threes,  or  in  larger  groups,  supremely 
ardent,  grandly  proud  that  at  last  the  mettle  of 
which  they  boasted  was  about  to  be  proved  in  distant 
Africa,  it  was  an  interesting  study  to  note  how  the 
sudden  or  slow  descents  to  far  below  zero — often  from 
the  topmost  altitude  of  assurance — were  effected  ;  to 
observe  how  the  exaggerated  anticipations,  by  which 
they  had  duped  themselves,  took  quick  flight  before 
the  revelations  of  reality. 

Instead  of  meeting  the  usual  conveniences  of  civili- 
sation, which  they  seem  to  have  taken  for  granted 
already  existed,  they  found  themselves  confronted  and 
repelled  by  the  task  of  preparing  these  for  later 
comers,  and  by  the  drudgery  and  toil  it  involved. 
They  were  quite  prepared  to  enjoy  the  labour  of  the 
earliest  pioneers,  but  they  were  extremely  loth  to 
undertake  to  do  for  their  successors  what  they  had 
inconsiderately  assumed  was  already  accomplished  for 
themselves. 

In  the  presence  of  this  astonishing  revelation  I  began 
to  hear  words  and  phrases  that  sounded  strangely  to  me, 
because  I  had  been  abroad,  alone  for  so  many  years 
that  I  had  well-nigh  forgotten  them.     These  were 


240 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  "amour-propre" — self-love  ?  "susceptibilities" — vanity? 

in  Atrica. 

which  were  shot  forth  like  so  many  delicate  antennae, 
and  when  touched  by  the  imperative  necessity  of  some 
one  being  appointed  to  undertake  the  work  caused  them 
to  shrink  back  offended  and  alarmed  if  a  delicate  hint 
was  given  that  it  wras  their  "  turn."  Little  by  little 
we  discovered  that  these  magnificent  men  not  only 
lacked  the  necessary  attainments,  but  wTere  also  most 
poor  in  the  spirit  of  endeavour. 

Of  those  heroes  of  labour  wTho  distinguished  them- 
selves by  intense  striving  in  the  work-markets  of 
Europe,  I  encountered  but  a  few.  Of  those  noble 
aspirants  for  bread  or  for  honour  of  whom  we  read  so 
much  about  in  the  annals  of  industry,  I  regret  to  say  it 
was  not  my  good  fortune  to  meet  many  examples.  For 
the  first  three  years  I  may  say  their  number  was  only 
about  four  per  cent.  And  the  rest — well,  they  did  not 
allow  me  to  forget  their  existence. 

Can  any  man  have  read  this  book  so  far  as  these 
pages,  and  taken  into  due  consideration  the  character 
and  nature  of  our  work,  without  readily  perceiving 
and  admitting  how  very  necessary  a  strong  and  willing 
soul  was  to  me  in  the  matter  of  assistance,  how  such 
would  have  been  honoured  and  blessed  by  me,  how 
devoutly  I  should  have  admired  him  for  his  devoted- 
ness,  and  courted  his  company  for  the  vital  value 
of  his  presence  ? 

Many  Europeans  no  doubt  succumbed  from  physical 
weakness  ;  others  had  simply  mistaken  their  vocation. 
The  influence  of  the  wine  or  beer,  which  at  the  first 


EXTRAVAGANT  HOPES.  241 
offset  from  Europe  had  acted  0:1  their  impulses  like  Europeans 

in  Africa. 

the  effect  of  quinine  on  weakened  nerves,  soon  evapo- 
rated in  a  wineless  land,  and  with  their  general  igno- 
rance of  adaptation  to  foreign  circumstances,  and  a 
steady  need  of  the  exhilarating  influence  of  customary 
*  stimulants,  an  unconquerable  depression  usurped  the 
high-blown  courage  it  inspired,  which  some  called 
nostalgia,  and  some  hypochondria.  Many  had  also,  as 
they  themselves  confessed,  come  out  merely  to  see  the 
river  ;  their  imaginations  had  run  riot  amid  herds  of 
elephants,  lions,  buffaloes,  and  hippopotami,  while  the 
tall  lithe-necked  giraffe  and  the  graceful  zebra  occupied 
the  foreground  of  those  most  unreal  pictures.  Their 
senses  had  also  been  fired  by  the  looks  of  love  and  ad- 
miration cast  on  them  by  their  sweethearts,  as  they 
declared  their  intention  to  "  go  out  to  the  Congo,"  while 
many  a  pleasing  hour  must  have  been  spent  as  together 
they  examined  the  strange  equipments,  the  elephant- 
rifles,  the  penetrative  "Express,"  and  described  in 
glowing  terms  their  life  in  the  far-off  palmy  lands 
watered  by  the  winding  Ikelemba  or  the  mighty  Congo. 
Thus  they  had  deluded  themselves  as  well  as  the 
Comite',  whose  Members  looked  up  with  eyes  of  com- 
mendation, as  the  inspired  heroes  delivered  with  bated 
breath  their  unalterable  resolution  "  to  do  or  die." 

But  death  was  slow  to  attack  the  valorous  braves 
while  the  do  able  lay  largely  extended  before  them. 
The  latter  was  always  present  with  its  exasperating- 
plainness,  its  undeniable  imperativeness  which  affronted 
their  "susceptibilities,"  and  ignored  their  titles  and 
Vol.  IT.— in 


242 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  their  rights  to  distinction.   The  stern  every-day  reality, 

in  \ti'ic& 

the  meagre  diet  and  the  forbidding  aspect,  humbled 
their  presumption.  When  they  hear  that  in  this  land 
there  is  neither  wine,  nor  beer,  nor  comforting  cognac 
to  relieve  the  gnawing  distressful  hankering  they  suf- 
fered for  their  usual  beverage,  their  hearts  beat  more 
feebly  ;  and  they  see  that  those  bright  African  images 
and  beautiful  dreams  of  tropic  scenery  and  excitement 
are  replaced  by  unknown  breadths  of  roadless  regions, 
exuberant  only  with  tall  spear-grass  and  jungly 
scrub.  The  hot  sun  dares  them  to  the  trial  of  forcing 
a  way  through  such  scarcely  penetrable  growth;  but 
the  distance  and  fatigue,  seeming  to  be  immense,  over- 
masters their  resolution ;  and,  alas !  there  are  no  fair 
maidens  with  golden  hair  to  admire  their  noble  efforts 
at  doing  and  dying. 

Conscience,  or  the  prickings  of  shame,  may  whisper 
to  a  few  not  quite  abandoned  and  shameless,  that  there 
is  brave  work  to  be  performed,  and  that  they  may 
experience  the  colonist's  pleasure  of  seeing  the  vege- 
tables and  fruit-trees  and  plants  grow  instead  of  that 
cane  grass  and  jungle  now  covering  the  broad  acreage. 

"  Bah  !  I  did  not  come  to  work  ;  I  came  to  hunt, 
to  play,  to  eat,  and  to  receive  a  big  salary  from  the 
Comite',"  some  answer. 

"Do  you  feel  fatigued?  Try  some  hot  tea  or 
coffee." 

"What!"  shriek  they.  "Try  Congo  water!  No, 
thank  you  ;  my  stomach  was  made  for  something  better 
than  to  be  a  nest  for  young  crocodiles." 


EQUIPMENT  OF  A  STATION. 


243 


Let  me  illustrate  a  few  instances.  One,  who  has  Europeans 
loudly  professed  himself  to  be  heroic,  is  conducted  to 
the  site  of  a  station.  Forty  docile,  disciplined  black 
men  are  delivered  over  to  his  control.  Three  com- 
panions of  white  colour  are  allotted  to  his  assistance. 
A  stack  of  bales  of  cloth,  bags  of  beads,  and  enough 
brass- wire  to  ballast  a  large  boat  are  given  to  him  as 
currency  to  barter,  and  to  put  into  circulation  with  the 
aborigines  for  provisions  such  as  the  country  may  fur- 
nish. The  river  close  by  swarms  with  fish  which,  if  he 
will,  he  may  catch ;  the  villages  around  about  possess 
fowls,  among  which,  doubtless,  laying  hens  will  be 
found  ;  sheep  and  goats  are  also  procurable,  and  a 
sufficient  number  of  she-goats  will  supply  him  and  his 
white  companions  with  fresh  milk ;  the  natives  in  the 
neighbourhood  will  sell  him  sweet  potatoes,  which 
when  boiled  or  fried,  roasted  or  stewed,  are  nutritious ; 
fields  of  cassava  are  extensive,  and  its  edible  root  may 
be  prepared  in  a  variety  of  agreeable  ways.  Tomatoes, 
beans  and  pumpkins  are  not  difficult  to  obtain,  which, 
augmented  by  a  store  of  rice,  tinned  vegetables  and 
wheaten  flour,  besides  tea,  coffee,  butter,  jam,  and  con- 
densed milk,  tinned  fish,  meats  and  soups  from  Europe, 
may  well  permit  a  sumptuous  diet  to  be  enjoyed, 
provided  there  is  a  little  exertion  and  personal  superin- 
tendence directed  in  the  preparation  of  the  food. 

To  start  the  station  fairly,  we  build  a  strong  block- 
house and  a  native  village  before  our  departure,  to 
house  the  whites  and  their  goods.  Milch-goats  are 
collected,  and  laying  hens  are  purchased.    The  abori- 


244 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  gines  are  invited  to  a  solemn  palaver,  at  which  both 

111  Africa.  .  .    .  .        ,  . 

whites  and  natives  are  initiated  into  the  groove  of 
social  relationship. 

The  instructions,  few  and  simple,  to  him  are :  "  See 
now,  sir,  this  is  your  domain,  legitimately  acquired.  It- 
has  become,  by  the  power  invested  in  you  as  chief,  your 
estate,  over  which  you  have  absolute  control,  subject  to 
none  other  than  myself.  I  must  leave  you  as  master 
and  sole  arbiter  in  all  questions.  Let  justice  attend 
your  dealings ;  be  kind  to  your  people,  for  remem- 
ber you  are  their  father  and  their  mother.  Show 
me  on  my  return  that  a  fit  choice  was  made  when  I 
selected  you.  By  industry  you  may  make  your  place 
a  model  to  be  followed  by  others  less  experienced  than 
yourself ;  by  due  care  you  may  make  it  the  happiest 
place  in  Africa.  You  have  sufficient  native  moneys, 
and  abundant  provisions.  On  this  paper  you  will  see 
the  plan  which  I  wish  you  to  follow." 

I  am  absent  ten  months  from  the  scene,  but  I  find  on 
my  return  that  the  condition  of  the  place  is  far  worse 
than  when  I  departed.  The  warm  promises  made  by 
him  created  in  me  an  ideal  paradise  ;  but  instead  of  my 
bright,  and,  alas !  too  florid  an  ideal,  I  see  the  wild 
grass  has  overrun  our  native  village,  so  that  it  is 
scarcely  visible.  Not  one  house  has  been  added  to  those 
structures  we  had  raised  for  him.  The  station  is  also 
in  a  state  of  siege ;  a  palisaded  circle  shows  that  once 
an  alarm  had  bestirred  him  to  spasmodic  action  ;  famine 
beleaguers  the  garrison  ;  four  days  searching  far  and 
wide  only  brings  enough  to  last  a  few  hours ;  the  stores 


NEGLECTED  STATIONS. 


245 


are  empty  5  there  are  only  enough  brass  rods  to  last  European 
three  days.  The  natives  leave  him  and  his  station  so 
severely  alone  that  he  is  in  actual  risk  of  starvation. 
What  a  great  contrast  it  is  altogether  to  that  beautiful 
ideal  of  mine !  How  very  reverse  to  those  glowing 
promises,  letters,  and  reports  ! 

u  Why,  how  is  this  ?  Good  heavens,  this  is  a  very 
ruin  of  a  place!"  I  exclaim.  "  See  the  village — the 
road,  the  street,  the  station,  is  buried  in  grass  ! " 

Oh,  this  is  a  too  harsh  vibration  on  the  fine-fibred 
susceptibilities!  The  immaculate  and  stiff-starched 
gentleman  cannot,  and  will  not,  stand  this.  He  writes  : 
" 1  have  the  honour  to  send  you  my  resignation  ;" 
which,  of  course,  is  accepted,  for  he  is  too  high- 
stomached  to  accept  a  position  where  he  will  be  less 
harmful,  and  which  I  would  willingly  give  him,  so  that 
he  would  be  powerless  for  harm. 

A  change  of  masters  brought  about  a  happy  result. 
The  station  soon  began  to  be  worthy  of  its  importance. 
There  are  now  large  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  browsing 
around  it  ;  scores  of  fowls  and  ducks  in  the  fowl-yard. 
The  table  menu  is  as  good  as  that  which  might  be 
obtained  at  any  second-class  hotel  in  Europe.  A  grand 
market  is  held  every  morning  in  the  plaza  of  the  station, 
where  I  can  see  the  little  ebon  children  play  at  my 
door.  From  the  assembly  of  native  women,  500  persons 
could  purchase  fresh  native  bread  every  twenty-four 
hours.  The  houses  devoted  to  the  accommodation  of 
the  officers  are  630  feet  of  aggregate  length  ;  the  gar- 
den is  about  200  acres  in  extent,  where  there  are  3000 


246 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  bananas,  500  papaw-trees,  and  ]i me,  orange,  guava,  and 

in  Africa. 

mango  trees,  in  a  flourishing  condition.  European  and 
native  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  and  a  variety  of  vegetables 
are  produced  in  sufficient  quantities.  Nine  thousand 
square  feet  are  devoted  to  a  grand  esplanade,  and  the 
approach  to  the  station  is  along  a  broad,  clear  road. 
All  these  results,  with  other  numerous  improvements, 
prove  the  character  of  the  changes  which  patient  in- 
dustry, in  conjunction  with  wakeful  diligence,  can  create 
in  a  wilderness. 

In  the  above  will  be  found  the  type  of  those  exter- 
nally magnificent  creatures  who  suffered  from  an  in- 
curable hunger  for  a  diet  which  rustic  Africa  could  not 
furnish  in  its  present  stage  of  undevelopment ;  and  who 
were  unwilling,  despite  fair  wages  and  bounden  duty, 
to  practise  a  little  exertion  to  start  the  improvement  of 
their  position.  On  the  contrary,  they  allowed  unnatural 
bilious  humours  to  ferment  within  them  until  they 
became  a  living  eyesore  to  their  friends  and  a  torment 
to  themselves. 

Another  type  of  futile  manhood  was  the  malingerer. 
The  art  was  carried  to  perfection  by  one  who  deceived 
every  one  for  weeks,  and  might — so  annoying  to  some 
men  is  unnecessary  rupture  and  rage — have  protracted 
his  skilful  shamming  to  an  indefinite  length  of  time, 
had  he  not  voluntarily  ended  a  long  period  of  successful 
malingering  by  an  abrupt  and  unexpected  letter  of 
resignation.  Nine  weeks  had  this  cunning  artist  prac- 
tised his  histrionic  art  to  perfection !  What  soothing 
blandishments  had  I  not  lavished  on  the  first  artful 


MALINGERING. 


247 


dodger  who  chose  to  ply  his  art  on  the  Congo  ?    The  Europeans 

tit  i  •  •  i  •        in  Africa. 

number  of  paces  I  had  walked  on  my  visits  to  him 
during  his  supposed  affliction  by  computation  amounted 
to  several  miles.  The  value  of  the  medical  stores, 
condensed  milk,  jam,  .marmalade,  butter,  soups,  wine, 
biscuits,  which  were  held  in  reserve  for  men  who — 
sickened  of  goat-meat  and  cassava  bread,  accompanied 
by  hourly  transitions  from  heat  to  cold — required  the 
delicacies  which  were  consumed  by  this  specious  rogue, 
amounted  to  some  hundreds  of  pounds  sterling.  When 
he  assumes  the  air  of  a  convalescent,  what  promises  of 
promotion  are  not  made  to  him  ?  What  encourage- 
ments are  not  held  out  to  him  when  he  adopts  the  tone 
of  one  being  discouraged  by  protracted  sickness  ?  How 
strenuously  I  lay  myself  out  to  dissipate  his  mock 
moodiness  and  dispute  his  hypothetic  unfitness  !  And, 
when  the  medical  luxuries  are  nearlv  exhausted,  and 
signs  of  worn-out  patience  are  visible,  he  rounds  it  all 
off  with  a  letter  of  resignation  ! 

In  few  but  intelligent  phrases  he  is  told  to  dismiss 
all  hopes  of  an  early  return  to  the  coast — something  is 
muttered  of  an  unfulfilled  contract,  services  due,  excel- 
lent shamming,  necessity  of  caution,  triangle,  &c.  And 
our  "  artful  dodger  "  is  seen  at  work  half  an  hour  later, 
with  jacket  off  and  sleeves  rolled  up;  and  his  after  his- 
tory contains  a  good  deal  of  work  fitly  done. 

Another  of  these  Europeans,  who  have  troubled  me 
not  a  little,  can  be  best  described  by  an  extract  from  my 
diary  dated  October  14,  1880. 

"  Poor  man — let  us  call  him  Frank — like  all  other  un- 


248 


THE  COX  GO. 


Kuropeaus  intelligent  men,  regards  his  beautifully  easy  life  on  the 
Congo  as  almost  unendurable.  Were  he  the  sole  reporter 
of  his  experiences  since  last  November,  people  would 
scarcely  credit  the  fact  that  Africa  was  pretty  well  ex- 
plored, so  many  new  discoveries  could  be  furnish  them 
with — of  the  soul-harrowing  kind.  His  face  daily  in- 
creases in  length,  and  seems  to  approach  day  by  day 
nearer  in  resemblance  to  the  melancholy  features  of 
Don  Quixote,  which  I  have  seen  somewhere.  And  with 
increasing  length  of  face  there  is  an  increasing  ill- 
humour.  But  sick  men  are  always  peevish  and  grumble, 
and  are  notorious  for  entertaining  unjust  feeling  towards 
their  physicians. 

"  The  conditions  of  a  healthy  enjoyment  of  life  in 
Africa,  are  very  little  understood,  if  at  all,  by  'Frank' 
and  his  class.  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  impart  to  them 
the  rudiments  of*  the  lesson  of  life.  It  is  a  most  thank- 
less task,  and  the  effort  is  so  ungraciously  received  that 
I  have  been  often  repelled  by  the  visible  signs  of  non- 
appreciation.  Rarely  have  I  been  encouraged  to  pro- 
ceed by  those  to  whom  counsel  was  addressed.  They  do 
not  seem  to  take  any  interest  in  what  concerns  their  own 
health.  They  duly  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  duty  they 
owe  to  themselves  to  be  as  careful  as  possible,  and  to 
be  prudent  and  circumspect ;  they  are  civil  in  their  re- 
plies, and  are  ready  with  promises  of  amendment.  But 
they  never  practise  what  they  promise,  and  that  active 
zeal  and  watchful  prudence  which  would  seem  to  govern 
one  who  loves  his  own  life  I  never  see  exhibited.  The 
-performance  appears  to  be  too  irksome,  and  neither  their 


UNINTELLIGENT  WORKERS. 


249 


intelligence  nor  their  conscience  are  provoked  to  assist  Europeans 
them.  I  remember  Frank  Pocock  also,  on  the  second 
expedition,  who  must  (almost  as  the  sound  of  my  advice 
died  away)  have  been  meditating  on  that  step  by  which 
he  lost  his  life,  and  caused  me  for  months  a  pang  of 
sorrow,  each  time  I  thought  of  his  sad  end. 

"  I  have  observed  also  that  not  only  in  matters  of  self- 
preservation  is  this  apathy  evident,  but  that  it  is  present 
in  the  every-day  duties  of  the  expedition,  which  they 
are  pledged  to  perform,  and  for  which  they  receive  re- 
muneration. Any  single  order  they  will  perform  well 
and  creditably  ;  but  if  I  accompany  it  with  the  expres- 
sion of  a  hope  that  they  will  consider  it  as  a  daily  duty, 
the  order  becomes  at  once  inoperative,  for  it  is  never 
observed. 

"  If  I  command  a  native  to  convey  such  and  such  a 
box  to  a  certain  camp,  and  assist  him  wTith  it  until  he 
feels  its  weight  properly  balanced  on  his  head,  off  he 
departs  cheerfully,  and  deposits  the  box  faithfully  ac- 
cording to  the  order.  But  if  I  add,  "  and  on  your  return 
take  this  box  also  in  the  same  manner,"  experience  has 
taught  me  that.  I  have  tasked  his  memory  or  his  intelli- 
gence beyond  his  capacity,  for  I  shall  undoubtedly  be 
compelled  to  await  his  coming,  and  repeat  the  opera- 
tion of  placing  a  box  on  his  head.  In  the  same  manner 
if  I  tell  Europeans,  who  in  Europe  would  be  supposed 
to  possess  sufficient  intelligence  to  understand  any 
reasonable  order  of  the  kind,  to  mend  all  sails,  tar- 
paulins, tents,  or  baggage-covers,  the  order  to  do  so  is 
never  observed,  but  any  particular  rent  in  a  tarpaulin, 


250 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  tent,  or  baggage-cover  indicated  will  be  repaired  to  my 

in  Africa.  ,  . 

satisfaction.  Or  if  I  say  to  such  a  person  :  '  Just  cast 
your  eye  about  the  camp,  and  see  what  ought  to  be 
done,'  I  have  discovered  that  such  an  order  is  too 
general  to  be  followed  ;  but  any  particular  order  will 
be  mechanically  obeyed.  A  promise  of  promotion,  or 
higher  pay,  or  a  display  of  tender  solicitude,  create  no 
impression,  and  as  yet  I  know  no  motive  powerful 
enough  to  excite  the  European  or  West  African  abori- 
gine to  distinguish  himself  by  what  I  call  an  assiduous 
interest  in  his  work.  The  only  people  on  whom  my 
words  take  due  effect  and  create  a  prolonged  impression 
are  the  foreign  coloured  employes. 

"  Now,  to  what  may  I  attribute  this  absence  of  intelli- 
gent interest  in  their  work  which  is  characteristic  of 
the  European  and  the  West  Coast  native  ?  Is  it  to 
the  climate  ?  Then  why  does  it  not  affect  -Albert  and 
myself  ?  I  admit  to  enjoying  a  vitality  unusual  to  me 
in  Europe — to  a  buoyant  feeling,  to  an  irresistible 
desire  to  be  on  the  move,  for  bodily  activity,  and  for 
personal  exertion  of  every  description.  As  for  Albert, 
he  is  never  otherwise  than  full  of  life  and  action." 

But  perhaps  Frank  and  others  may  feel  strange 
yet,  or— 

"  May  be  they  are  not  well. 
Infirmity  doth  still  neglect  all  office 
Whereto  our  health  is  bound ;  we  are  not  ourselves 
When  nature,  being  oppressed,  commands  the  mind 
To  suffer  with  the  body.    I'll  forbear 
***** 

To  take  the  indisposed  and  sickly  fit 
For  the  sound  man." 


"NOTHING  LIKE  WHISKY: 


251 


But  of  all  the  rabid  absurdities  I  have  encountered  huropeans 
in  the  tropics,  the  preaching  of  a  young  fool  on  the 
merits  of  intoxicants,  who  has  heard  from  some  old  fool 
that  there  is  nothing  like  whisky,  astonishes  me  most. 
Mr.  Puffy  face,  while  in  a  semi-maudlin  state,  has  been 
heard  declaring,  in  the  hearing  of  our  youthful  enthu- 
siast, that  "  after  fourteen  years  acquaintance  with 
the  African  fever,  despite  all  that  may  be  said  against 
it,  there  is  nothing  like  whisky  after  all  for  the  curing 
of  it."  It  reminds  me  very  much  of  what  I  heard  in  ' 
the  ague  regions  of  the  South-western  States,  and  recalls 
to  my  memory  the  South-western  saddle-bag  with  its 
inevitable  whisky-bottle.  But,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
after-comers,  let  me  prick  this  bloated  bubble.  Show 
me  one  of  these  old  bloaters  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa, 
and  I  will  show  you  a  sham  and  a  delusion  ;  I  will 
prove  to  him  and  to  all  spectators  that  his  supposed 
immunity  does  not  rise  from  his  devotion  to  whisky, 
but  simply  to  his  expertness  in  the  art  known  to 
nautical  men  as  "  sojering."  A  few  hours  hard  work  or 
marching  in  the  interior  would  lay  the  lazy  lion  as  low 
as  a  dead  donkey.  Gin  and  whisky  "  topers "  have 
lived  long  elsewhere  than  on  the  Niger  and  the  Congo. 
But  if  you  meet  him  on  the  African  coast,  a  glance  at 
his  shirt  or  linen,  after  twelve  hours  wearing,  will  tell 
the  whole  truth  to  you  as  clearly  as  similar  evidence 
would  be  deemed  invaluable  by  a  police-detective.  You 
will  be  able  to  gauge  the  amount  of  bodily  exertion  he 
has  been  undergoing.  If  it  is  free  from  stains  of  body 
exudation,  then  he  has  been  simply  "  sojering,"  and  it 


252 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  would  then  be  difficult  to  say  how  long  a  time  must 

in  Africa.  , 

elapse  before  the  liver  shows  a  deadly  abcess,  or 
becomes  indurated.  But,  if  you  want  to  do  humanity 
a  kindness,  trot  him  out  with  you  on  a  ten-mile  march 
through  the  African  wilderness,  and  then  note  the  result. 
A  little  war  which  occurred  between  traders  and  natives 
lately  on  the  African  coast,  supplied  me  with  valuable 
details,  which  seemed  to  be  of  no  special  interest  to  any 
one  but  to  myself,  as  confirmatory  evidences. 

With  us  on  the  Congo,  where  men  must  work,  and 
bodily  movement  is  compulsory,  the  very  atmosphere 
seems  to  be  fatally  hostile  to  the  physique  of  men  who 
pin  their  faith  on  whisky,  gin,  and  brandy.  They  in- 
variably succumb,  and  are  a  constant  source  of  expense. 
Even  if  they  are  not  finally  buried  out  of  sight  and  out 
of  memory,  they  are  so  utterly  helpless,  diseases  germi- 
nate with  such  frightful  rapidity,  symptoms  of  insanity 
are  numerous ;  and,  with  mind  vacant  and  body  semi- 
paralysed,  they  are  hurried  homeward  to  make  room  for 
more  valuable  substitutes,  lest  they  draw  down  a  few 
more  objurgatory  phrases  on  Africa,  which  should  be 
justly  applied  to  themselves. 

Military  commanders  during  their  campaigns  or 
manoeuvres,  great  journals  which  have  despatched  a 
body  of  special  correspondents  to  report  the  incidents 
attending  these  campaigns,  large  firms  who  have  com- 
missioned a  number  of  travellers  to  secure  business, 
wealthy  companies  who  own  numerous  factories  along 
the  African  coast,  will  all  have  good  reason  to  know 
the  great  difference  that  exists  between  man  and  man, 


"LIQUORING  UP: 


253 


of  those  under  authority  or  in  their  employ.  They  Europeans 
will  doubtless  know  what  broad  lines  may  be  drawn 
between  the  one  who  "  lushes,"  or  "  perpetually  sips," 
and  who  seems  to  think  that  the  whole  duty  of  man 
lies  in  64  liquoring  up,"  and  the  sober,  earnest  worker, 
who  knows  when  to  temper  the  harsher  experience  of 
life  with  a  needful  sedative  or  stimulant. 

If  I  in  this  genial  manner  relate  my  experience  of 
the  last  six  years,  it  is  most  certainly  not  with  a  view 
of  making  allusions  to  any  of  those  who  fell  by  the 
way,  or  were  returned  to  Europe.  Far  from  it.  That 
would  be  too  painful ;  sufficient  for  those  who  were 
failures  have  been  the  consequences  to  themselves. 
Their  own  sins  have  in  many  cases  proved  their 
Nemesis.  If  any  have  scented  after  impurities,  or 
wallowed  in  mud,  proved  incompetent  and  intemperate, 
or  bristled  over  with  susceptibilities,  allowed  spleen  to 
mar  their  prospects,  or  been  indifferent  to  their  duties, 
lacked  manliness  or  were  of  depraved  nature,  all  I  can 
say  is — may  their  own  regrets  be  their  reward. 

It  is  well,  however,  for  many  of  them  that  the  ex- 
pedition did  not  belong  to  some  national  government, 
otherwise  extreme  measures  would  often  have  been 
taken  to  curb  the  excessive  licentiousness  to  which 
some  were  too  prone,  and  punish  severely  the  many  sins 
of  omission  and  commission  of  which  some  were  guilty. 
All  we  could  do  was  to  discharge  them  quickly,  to  keep 
the  expedition  as  pure  as  possible.  That  good  order 
and  quiet  prevailed  generally  was  only  due  to  the 
rigorous  exercise  of  the  sole  means  we  possessed  to 


254 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  enforce  due  respect  to  moral  laws.    But  had  we  in  our 

in  Africa.  . 

service  on  the  lower  river  some  superior  officer,  capable 
not  only  of  governing  men,  but  also  of  self-government, 
much  that  shocked  and  grieved  me  during  the  first 
four  years  would  have  been  impossible. 

The  evils  of  brandy  and  soda  in  India  need  only  to 
be  remembered  to  prove  how  pernicious  is  the  suicidal 
habit  of  indulgence  in  drinking  alcoholic  liquors  in  hot 
climates.  The  West  Coast  of  Africa  is  also  too  much 
indebted  to  the  ruin  effected  by  intemperance ;  and 
despite  the  frequent  reprieves  given  by  a  generous 
government — furloughs  of  six  months  after  only  a 
service  of  twelve  months — valuable  lives  are  destroyed. 

But  it  is  my  belief  that  the  other  extreme  is  unwise. 
To  abstain  entirely  from  drinking  wine  because  intem- 
perance is  madness  is  by  no  means  what  I  endeavour  to 
inculcate,  nor  even  do  I  recommend  what  is  called 
moderation.  Once  we  admit  this  last  word,  irreflective 
people  may  suppose  that  I  advocate  "  liquoring  up " 
moderately  at  any  time,  provided  the  imbiber  always 
keeps  within  the  limits  of  sobriety.  I  suggest  nothing 
of  the  kind.  In  the  tropics  I  advise  no  one  during  the 
hours  of  daylight  to  touch  liquor,  unless  a  medical  man 
prescribes  a  certain  quantity  to  be  taken  when  it  is 
absolutely  necessary ;  that  wine — good  red  or  white 
wine — should  be  taken  only  after  sunset,  at  dinner; 
half-a-pint,  watered,  if  more  agreeable,  is  what  I  con- 
sider as  a  moderate  quantity,  that  may  be  safely  taken 
as  soothing  to  the  nerves,  and  provoking  early  sleep. 
After  a  full  night's  rest  one  will  rise  with  a  clear  head, 


FAITHFUL  OFFICERS. 


255 


clean  tongue,  and  can  as  easily  do  a  full  day's  work  in 
the  tropics  as  he  can  in  temperate  latitudes. 

But  now  let  us  turn  to  a  happier  theme,  and  en- 
deavour to  show  that  human  nature  is  not  all  weak  and 
vile.  There  are  scores  of  officers  now  on  the  Congo  who 
are  distinguished  for  their  gallantry  and  moral  courage, 
and  for  the  noble  virtues  of  manliness  and  steady  well- 
doing. It  is  a  proud  and  pleasing  task  to  me  to  review 
the  unblemished  careers  of  those  who  have  served  their 
term  faithfully  and  with  honour,  though  it  is  still  too 
early  to  speak  of  many  most  promising  among  those 
who  yet  remain  there. 

The  first  who  served  his  full  term  well  and  honour- 
ably was  Albert  Christopherson,  a  young  Danish 
mariner.  He  came  out  in  July  1879,  and  returned 
home  in  July  1882.  From  the  first  starting  of  the 
flotilla  from  Banana  Point  to  the  founding  of  Mswata 
Station  and  the  discovery  of  Lake  Leopold  II.,  he 
accompanied  me.  Ever  prompt  in  duty,  uniformly 
civil  in  his  deportment,  he  proved  himself  to  be  a 
young  man  who  gloried  in  his  strength  and  enjoyed 
his  African  life  intensely.  The  first  year  he  could  not 
impress  the  foreign  African  employes  with  his  value,  as 
the  country,  its  manners  and  language,  were  all  novel 
to  him ;  but  as  soon  as  he  understood  sufficiently  the 
vocabulary,  he  was  not  long  before  he  became  a  general 
favourite  with  our  employes,  and  his  frank  manners  and 
hearty  manliness  won  the  hearts  of  the  aborigines. 

There  was  no  duty  such  as  one  of  his  capacity  could 
perform  that  he  did  not  carry  out  with  willingness  and 
thoroughness.   When  requested  to  undertake  any  duty, 


256 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  if  he  gave  me  an  affirmative — lie  seemed  to  Lave  a 

in  ~\ t r i l ' i 

certain  code  of  honour  to  which  he  religiously  adhered 
— I  never  had  reason  to  doubt  that  the  work  should 
be  done  conformably  with  the  order,  barring  accidents. 
Had  his  education  and  other  attainments  been  equal  to 
his  goodwill,  Albert  Christopherson  would  to-day  have 
been  in  an  enviable  position.  The  young  fellow  was 
as  free  from  the  stupid  vice  common  to  most  of  his 
calling  as  his  constitution  was  free  from  defect.  A 
Paladin  for  his  strength,  perfect  in  good  humour, 
almost  boyish  in  his  frankness,  he  taught  the  natives  to 
discern  in  him  from  amongst  the  Europeans  a  guileless 
friend.* 

The  next  was  Captain  Anderson,  a  Scandinavian 
mariner.  He  also  served  a  term  of  three  years.  The 
very  movement  of  this  man  was  a  great  pleasure  to  me. 
No  coloured  employe  could  resist,  in  his  presence,  the 
wish  to  do  his  level  best.  When  he  lent  a  hand  to 
haul  a  heavily-weighted  wagon  up  a  steep  hill,  his 
keen  eye  glanced  along  the  lines  of  tugging,  panting 

*  I  remember  one  day  that  a  moody  Zanzibari  appeared  before  me  to 
complain  of  Albert  for  having  struck  him.  His  lips  were  swollen  and  face 
disfigured,  as  evidence  that  something  unusual  had  occurred  during  my 
absence.  Albert  was  called,  and  appeared  with  his  sleeves  rolled  up 
above  the  elbows— a  fair- skinned  young  giant. 

"  Well,  what  is  this,  Albert  ?  I  hear  you  have  been  striking  this  man  ?*' 
"  Yes,  sir,  I  have.  This  man  had  been  boasting  to  his  fellows  that  he 
could  tackle  me,  and  he  sought  an  occasion  of  it,  by  language  and  looks  of 
defiance,  when  I  told  him  to  be  a  little  more  lively.  The  last  time  I  told 
him  so  I  gave  him  a  little  push,  when  he  at  once  turned  on  me  in  a  box- 
ing attitude,  learned  among  the  sailors  at  Zanzibar,  I  suppose.  I  could 
scarcely  believe  it,  but,  seeing  every  one  else  look  up,  I  saw  that  the  whole 
thing  was  planned  by  Kungarugwa  for  a  little  sport.  I  gave  him  one 
from  the  shoulder,  which  felled  him.  He  was  some  time  coming  to,  and 
he  did  not  try  another  round." 


MR.  A.  B.  SWINBURNE,  CHIEF  OF  KINSHASSA  STATION. 


MB.  A.  B.  S  WINB  UBNE. 


257 


men,  and  detected  immediately  the  slack  arm  and  European* 
almost  despairing  owner.  To  this  place  he  sprang  with 
a  shout,  threw  himself  forward,  and  by  his  gestures 
inspired  the  company  to  renewed  effort,  until  the  hill's 
summit  was  at  last  attained.  While  another  might 
have  stormed  and  threatened,  and  become  frantic  with 
rage,  he  merely  electrified  his  company  by  the  healthy 
spirit  of  work  that  was  in  him. 

Captain  Anderson  had  been  too  long  in  command  of 
ships  not  to  know  the  value  set  upon  honest  goodwill 
in  the  performance  of  duty,  consequently  he  knew  no 
shirking,  and  thus  left  the  Congo  with  an  unexception- 
ably  good  character,  and  a  more  substantial  testimonial 
for  excellent  service  rendered. 

The  third  is  Mr.  A.  B.  Swinburne,  formerly  a  student 
of  Christ's  Hospital,  London.  He  has  now  served  forty- 
one  months  on  the  Congo,  first  as  clerk,  then  as  camp 
storekeeper,  and  afterwards  as  chief  of  Isangila  station. 
Young  as  he  was,  he  constructed  the  first  brick  store- 
house above  Boma,  and  was  the  only  station  chief  who 
could  for  some  years  be  taught  that  a  vegetable  garden 
was  a  valuable  adjunct  to  a  station.  He  impressed  me 
very  favourably  by  his  gentleness  and  his  quiet,  mild 
disposition,  by  which  he  effected  a  marked  impression 
on  the  aborigines  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  station. 
His  small  company  grew  attached  to  him — there  was 
peace,  and  an  utter  absence  of  jarring  in  his  place,  until 
it  grew  to  resemble  a  family  circle.  His  house  afforded 
a  quiet,  cool  resting-place  for  people  bound  up-river. 
The  little  decorations  and  finical  "  nattiness  "  bespoke 
Vol.  II.— 17 


258 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  the  young  creature  fresh  from  home  influences.  On 

in  Africa. 

his  spare  bed  one  could  repose  surrounded  by  a  neat- 
ness which  conjured  up  memories  of  civilisation. 

The  Congo  canon,  with  its  chill  winds,  proved  at  last 
too  depressing  for  him  ;  he  was  sent  to  England  to 
recruit.  But,  after  only  a  few  weeks'  stay,  he  returned 
again,  bringing  with  him  a  large  detachment  of  coloured 
recruits,  which  he  led  to  Stanley  Pool  in  good  order. 
He  was  then  appointed  to  Kinshassa  station,  and  was 
the  best  young  man  that  could  have  been  chosen  for 
the  peculiar  qualities  of  sweetness  and  gentleness,  which 
endeared  him  to  black  and  white.  Being  a  man  who 
had  the  moral  courage  not  to  resent  native  arrogance 
with  pistol  shots,  the  place  was  safe.  From  the  day  he 
planted  his  flag  there,  noisy  clamour  and  suspicion  were 
hushed,  and  the  Association  had  gained  an  important 
post  through  the  qualities  which  alone  could  have  won 
and  maintained  it  in  peace.* 

*  A  letter  from  Mr.  Swinburne,  January  1885,  relates  what  progress 
he  has  made  in  gardening,  which  will  be  interesting  to  those  who  wish  to 
know  what  may  be  grown  in  Central  Africa : — 

"  If  I  had  only  a  sufficient  variety  of  seed  I  could  have  almost  anything 
here.  The  ground  is  really  splend;d,  and  most  favourable  to  European 
vegetables.  A  few  English  potatoes  Teuz  gave  me  are  in  an  advanced 
state.  I  tried  an  experiment  with  them  by  cutting  shoots,  and  sticking 
them  in  the  ground ;  and  the  other  day  I  pulled  up  one,  and  was  astonished 
to  find  three  potatoes  of  the  size  of  marbles ;  the  originals  are  thriving, 
though  they  had  been  carried  all  the  way  from  England  here.  The 
eschalots  are  magnificent.  I  have  also  a  small  field  of  rice,  another  of 
sorghum,  another  of  Indian  corn  of  prodigious  growth.  Sugar-cane  is 
abundant.  Cabbage,  onions,  carrots,  English  turnips,  cress,  and  parsley 
and  parsnips,  have  been  tried  successfully.  At  Leopoldville  they  are 
doing  wonders  at  gardening.  The  mangoes,  oranges,  and  papaws  are 
springing  up  almost  visibly.  Dr.  Sims  is  pleased  with  his  coffee  experi- 
ments.   A  gardener  is  coming,  from  whom  I  shall  beg  more  seed." 


FRANCOIS  FLAMINI. 


259 


The  last  of  the  first  pioneers  was  Francois  Flamini,  an  Europeans 
Italian.  This  was  also  a  hard-working,  striving  man — 
a  mechanician  who  concentrated  his  affections  on  his 
wife  and  his  engine.  With  the  last  piece  of  mechanism, 
he  proved  himself  in  beautiful  harmony,  judging  by  the 
happj  results :  the  senseless  iron  seemed  to  respond  to 
his  love;  it  obeyed  him,  it  seemed  to  sympathise  with 
him.  To  it  I  believe  he  disclosed  the  fact  that  he  had 
a  supreme  love  for  a  woman  who  was  in  far  blue-skied 
Italy,  but  it  was  not  so  absorbing  that  he  and  it  could 
not  do  their  duty.  Therefore  they  laboured  lovingly, 
affectionately  together,  without  discord  or  jar.  For  the 
first  time  I  possessed  a  delicate  little  engine,  which, 
though  slight  and  slenderly  made,  ran  smoothly  yet 
perfectly,  while  the  patient  soul  of  Flamini  affectionately 
governed  its  motions. 

Among  the  later  arrivals  on  the  Congo  to  fill  the 
void  created  by  desertions  and  disease  there  are  nume- 
rous aspirants  of  superior  rank,  intelligence,  and 
capacity,  and  the  equal  of  the  first  pioneers  in  their 
devotion. 

When  the  International  African  Association  assumed 
direction  over  our  affairs  in  the  western  part  of  Africa, 
the  Comite  d'Etudes  du  Haut  Congo  was  displaced  by 
the  Comite'  of  the  Internationale  Association  du  Congo, 
which  carried  on  the  vast  work  inaugurated  under  the 
auspices  of  the  president  and  officers  of  the  Comite 
d'Etudes  du  Haut  Congo.  The  first  to  arrive  were 
Belgian  military  officers,  who,  able  to  obtain  leave, 
utilised  their  leave  of  absence  by  enlarging  their  views 


260 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  with  the  lessons  derived  from  a  rough  campaign  in 

in  Africa.  t  , 

Africa. 

From  among  their  ranks  the  worthiest  men  advance 
steadily  to  the  front,  "  fit  to  do  anything  or  go  any- 
where/' as  the  English  say  when  with  laudation  of  their 
gallant  soldiers  they  close  their  festivals.  I  name  these 
at  random,  not  necessarily  according  to  merit :  Captain 
Hanssens,  Lieuts.  Yalcke,  Janssen,  Parfoury,  Grang, 
Yangele,  Coquilhat,  Destrain,  Dr.  Allard,  &c. 

Captain  Hanssens,  besides  the  mechanical  duty  of 
paying  exact  military  obedience,  possesses  the  com- 
mendable forward  spirit  of  proving  himself  above  the 
common  place.  His  impulse  is  to  aspire  to  show  his 
fitness  and  capacity.  With  a  lofty  mind  he  overcomes 
the  harsh  unlovely  matter  of  his  surroundings,  and 
disdains  to  notice  the  numberless  wearying  though 
trivial  impediments  to  the  perfect  enjoyment  of  the  life 
he  has  chosen.  Before  adventuring  into  the  region  he 
seems  to  have  taken  pains  to  reflect  upon  the  character 
of  the  life  he  was  to  lead,  and  clothed  liimself  with  the 
only  armour  that  would  be  proof  against  the  pitiful 
circumstances  that  he  would  meet,  viz.,  an  honourable 
moral  courage.  He  comes  amongst  us  well  prepared 
to  find  that  as  yet  there  are  no  grand  hotels  with  their 
captivating  menus  and  luxurious  chambers.  There- 
fore he  enters  his  tent  or  his  thatched  cabin  and  seats 
himself  between  mud  walls  with  a  collected  dignity  as 
though  he  had  a  life-long  experience  of  the  camp  of 
a  pioneer.  If  he  is  ordered  on  an  expedition  into 
unknown  districts  to  build  stations  he  sets  about  it  in 


CAPTAIN  HANSSENS. 


261 


a  workmanlike  manner  ;  he  omits  nothing  in  the  memo-  Europeans 
randa,  from  a  needle  to  a  rifle ;  and  when  he  departs 
the  compactness  and  completeness  of  his  column  is  our 
assurance  of  his  success,  and  we  hear  no  more  of  him 
until  we  receive  his  happy  bulletin. 

Lieut.  Valcke  was  an  earlier  comer  into  our  ranks — 
a  mere  youth  from  the  engineer  corps,  wherein,  strange 
to  say,  Captain  Hanssens  was  his  examiner.  His  first 
essay  in  pioneering  was  but  feeble.  He  was  asked  to 
blast  about  a  dozen  rocks  that  were  in  the  roadway  at 
Ngoma.  He  fell  sick,  and  was  afterwards  put  in  charge 
of  our  first  camp  at  Isangila,  where  his  inexperience 
of  practical  details  in  the  conduct  of  the  camp  and  con- 
tinued ill-health  caused  him  to  be  sent  back  to  Yivi. 

Kept  there  for  six  months  to  acquire  a  little  more 
experience,  he  was  then  permitted  to  join  the  advance 
party.  He  was  taken  to  Stanley  Pool  on  a  reconnais- 
sance, where  we  learned  that  a  few  more  articles  of 
finery  would  be  a  boon,  and  consequently  he  was  de- 
spatched to  Loanda  to  purchase  these,  and  to  return 
with  them  as  quickly  as  possible.  He  bought  the  goods 
and  shipped  them  to  me,  but  he  himself,  falling  ill 
again,  departed  homewards. 

I  have  no  further  knowledge  of  him  until  eighteen 
months  later,  in  January  1883.  He  has  grown  more 
manly  in  appearance,  and,  though  doubting  his  ability, 
I  despatch  him  on  a  little  mission,  which  I  am  com- 
pelled to  admit  is  well  performed.  I  try  him  in  a 
different  field,  and  here  also,  although  it  is  unusual 
for  him,  there  is  an  exhibition  of  intelligence  and 


262 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  pleasing   fidelity.     Merit  wins  quick   promotion  in 

in  Africa. 

such  a  work  as  ours.  Lieut.  Yalcke  is  appointed  chief 
of  Leopoldville,  which  sadly  needed  some  man  of 
calibre ;  and  in  a  little  over  two  months  a  wonderful 
change  has  come  over  the  most  important  station  of 
the  Upper  Congo.  The  rising  buildings,  the  expanding 
terrace,  the  utter  absence  of  discord,  prove  that  the 
place  has  found  a  fit  master.  There  are  no  complaints 
from  Europeans  of  poor  diet,  no  murmurs  from  native 
employes  of  severity  and  cruel  injustice,  nor  do  I  hear 
of  any  controversies  with  the  aborigines.  The  plaza 
is  alive  with  marketing  and  innocent  chaffering;  the 
aboriginal  chiefs  are  in  perfect  confidence  assembled 
by  his  side  ;  the  garden  is  green  with  growing  bananas, 
plots  of  potatoes  and  other  vegetables  ;  the  caravans  are 
regular  in  their  coming  and  going,  and  the  store-rooms 
are  filled  with  goods  and  provisions. 

Then  comes  a  different  trial.  Yivi,  the  only  weak 
link  in  an  otherwise  perfect  chain  of  stations,  is  in  dis- 
order for  want  of  a  similar  faithful  agent.  The  letters 
from  the  lower  river  show  that  there  is  a  crying  need 
for  the  presence  of  some  one  possessing  firmness  and 
capacity.  Lieutenant  Yalcke  is  selected  with  full 
powers  to  act  as  my  deputy,  and  the  effect  of  his 
presence  is  such  that  I  am  enabled  to  devote  my  atten- 
tion to  the  pressing  duties  up-river.  He  is  hastened 
to  his  duties  at  Leopold ville,  which  by  this  time  is  the 
centre  of  a  large  area,  and  in  the  district  of  Stanley 
Pool  there  are  three  other  stations,  directed  by  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  principal  station.    Hence  this 


LIEUTENANT  VALCKE. 


263 


group  of  four  stations,  influencing  an  area  of  2000  Europeans 
square  miles,  is  called  the  Division  of  Stanley  Pool,  the 
political  interests  of  which  are  becoming  of  greater 
importance  every  day,  so  that  only  a  person  of  tried 
ability  can  be  intrusted  with  it.    Lieutenant  Valcke  is 


LIEUTENANT  VALCKK. 


therefore  appointed  Divisional  Commander.  For  five 
months  he  governs  it  admirably,  and  executes  the 
various  and  manifold  duties  which  the  government  of 
such  a  constantly  fermented  district  implies,  with  pre- 
cision, intelligence,  and  unflurried  patience.  From 
none  of  the  two  scores  of  chieftains  of  Bambundu, 


264 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  Bateke,  and  Babari  do  I  hear  the  slightest  whisper  of 

in  Africa. 

dissatisfaction. 

Finally  comes  the  last  trial  of  his  abilities.  The 
sectional  steamer  Le  Stanley  for  the  Upper  Congo 
has  arrived.  By  a  fatal  accident  to  Captain  Anderson 
we  are  deprived  of  that  officer's  invaluable  services. 
Captain  Hanssens  is  appointed  to  a  mission  requiring 
certain  abilities  which  eminently  distinguish  him  alone. 
Therefore  Lieutenant  Y alcke  is  selected  for  the  serious 
task  of  transporting  the  vessel  overland  to  Stanley 
Pool.  With  sufficient  power  such  a  task  is  by  no  means 
difficult ;  it  is  the  exasperating  tedium  of  operations 
which  include  the  transport  of  the  sections  piece  by 
piece,  the  oft-repeated  marching  and  counter-marching, 
the  painful  care  of  the  countless  miscellanea  attached 
to  the  steamer  (the  loss  of  a  single  atom  of  which 
might  lead  to  grave  consequences),  which,  united  with 
many  other  troublesome  manoeuvres,  make  the  respon- 
sibilities attaching  to  the  work  most  onerous.  That 
he  was  not  unequal  even  to  this  mission  is  proved  by 
his  arrival  with  the  steamer  halfway,  at  last  accounts, 
to  Stanley  Pool.  He  is  still  very  young,  but  the 
qualities  that  have  marked  him  are  neither  common 
nor  usual ;  and  no  doubt  this  well-deserved  recognition 
of  such  merits  as  he  has  developed  will  spur  him  on  in 
a  career  which  to-day  abounds  with  hope. 

Lieutenants  Yangele  and  Coquilhat  are  a  pair  of 
most  promising  young  officers  of  the  Belgian  army, 
who  have  employed  their  "  leave "  manfully.  Few 
officers  in  Belgium  will  ever  be  called  upon  to  dis- 


CONGO  LIFE  VERSUS  BARRACK  LIFE. 


tinguish  themselves  in  the  manner  English  officers  European* 

•  *n  Africa. 

are  called  upon  to  do  in  the  Indies  and  m  Africa, 
or  like  the  French  in  Tonquin,  Madagascar,  Tunis  and 
Algiers,  and  the  Americans  in  the  spacious  West.  A 
barrack  life  from  youth  to  old  age,  it  appears  to  me, 
with  all  its  charms  of  uniform  and  military  title,  can- 
not offer  the  advantages  and  excitements  which  the 
adventurous  young  and  brave  crave  after  with  an  in- 


LIEUTENANT  VANGELE. 


satiable  hunger.     It  may  suit  the  predilection  of  some 

to  be  the  warders  and  armed  police  of  order  and  peace 

in  a  quiet  country  like  Belgium  ;  but,  in  whatever 

civilised  country  the  literature  of  adventure  is  diffused, 

there  must  be  many  young  men  whose  hearts  beat 

high  as  they  read  the  stirring  tales — 

"  Of  moving  accidents  by  flood  and  field, 
Of  hair-breadth  'scapes  i'  the  imminent  deadly  breach." 

Incipient  chivalry  is  found  in  numerous  youthful 
breasts,  well  tired  of  the  daily  routine  of  marching 


266 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  from  barrack  to  park,  and  park  to  barrack,  with  no 

in  Africa. 

higher  purpose  than  being  drilled.  To  be  drilled 
from  year  to  year,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave! 
Good  heavens !  think  of  some  500  millions  of  Asiatics, 
300  millions  of  Africans,  and  50  millions  of  Indians 
and  Pacific  Islanders  requiring  some  small  share  of 
that  drill  which  is  so  lavishly  given  to  thousands  of 
accomplished  officers,  who  perhaps  would  be  better  for 
a  little  less  of  the  training  and  a  little  more  of  the 
sight-seeing  in  the  big  world  without ! 

So  the  young  officers  came  out  to  Africa,  both  un- 
speakably excited  at  the  prospect  of  adventures  in  the 
far  interior.  Like  many  others,  they  had  but  a  dim 
idea  of  the  real  truth  ;  still,  when  the  vain  fancies  had 
vanished,  there  was  enough  of  sterling  worth  found 
in  them.  They  became  sobered  by  the  grim  painful 
realities  of  wretched  diet,  and  the  intercourse  w?ith 
the  unlovely  natures  of  thousands  of  savage  brutal ised 
beings  among  whom  they  had  to  live,  often  putting 
their  natural  politeness  to  a  hard  test.  With  their 
ignorance  of  native  languages,  they  could  only  discern 
the  kernels  of  the  humanities  which  they  met.  They 
had  to  learn  the  meaning  of  Ba,  Ki,  and  Wa  and  M, 
and  no  sooner  had  these  profound  studies  been  mastered 
than  they  were  pushed  amongst  other  tribes  whose 
gabble  sounded  excessively  unintelligible;  and  before 
long  they  were  shifted  still  higher  up  the  river;  but 
little  by  little  they  detected,  by  the  slim  knowledge 
they  had  gained,  that  underneath  these  crude  bronze 
masks  of  faces  there   beat  warm  impulses  varying 


LIEUTENANTS  VANGELE  AND  COQUILHAT. 


267 


from  anerer  to  ioy,  hate  to  friendship.    And  lo  !  what  Europeans 

°  J  J  r  .  in  Africa. 

with  honest  striving  and  fast  purpose,  the  goal  of 
happy  contentment  was  reached  in  triumph. 

Now  if  gold  medals  should  ever  he  struck  by  the 
Association  to  reward  industry,  Lieut.  Vangele  should 
receive  the  first  and  Lieut.  Coquilhat  the  second,  for 
the  construction  of  the  best  well-made  station  on  the 
Upper  Congo.    These  two  officers  are  the  founders  of 


LIEUTENANT  COQUILHAT. 


Equator  Station.  To  know  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
rich  land  of  Africa,  visitors  cannot  begin  their  estimate 
until  they  see  the  bananas  grow  in  the  fat  soil  around 
this  station. 

An  accident,  sad  in  the  extreme,  deprived  me  of  a 
brilliant  young  officer  after  he  had  shown  nearly  three 
years  of  assiduous  effort  to  win  an  honourable  name 
for  gallantry,  good  conduct,  and  industry.  This  young 
gentleman  was  Eugene  Janssen,  lieutenant  in  the  Royal 
Belgian  Army.    He  had  come  out  as  inexperienced  as 


268 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  a  boy.    In  eighteen  months  he  was  so  far  ahead  of  his 

in  Africa.  _ 

compeers  that  lie  was  selected  to  occupy  Mswata,  near 
the  confluence  of  the  Kwa  and  the  Congo.  After  fifteen 
months  at  this  place  he  had  been  so  successful  as  a  com- 
mandant, through  his  gentle  arts  of  pleasing  suasion, 
that  old  Gobila,  the  chief,  consulted  him  in  everything 
he  undertook.  He  had  become  the  pet  of  old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  and  his  sobriquet,  the  "White 


LIEUTENANT  JANSSEN. 


Chicken,"  had  been  borne  up  the  river  for  a  distance  of 
500  miles,  as  the  name  of  one  who  was  the  good  friend 
of  all.  The  canoes  fastened  at  the  landing-place  of  his 
station,  either  bound  up  or  going  down  river,  contained 
hundreds  who  had  simply  halted  to  say  good  day  to 
Nsusu-Mpembe  (white  chicken). 

He  was  requested  to  build  a  station  a  little  higher  up 
than  Mswata,  and  to  show  the  Abbe  Griiyot  a  portion 
of  ground  where  he  might  have  his  mission-house 
erected.    Their  canoes,  returning  in  a  hurry  to  Mswata 


LIEUTENANT  PARFOURY. 


269 


in  the  teeth  of  a  gale  of  wind,  foundered  when  opposite  i 
Ganchu's  Point,  and  both  the  young  lieutenant  and  the 
Abbe,  with  several  of  the  coloured  men,  were  drowned. 

One  of  the  most  excellent  men  was  Lieut.  Parfoury. 
He  lived  long  enough  to  show  that  in  him  were  con- 
tained all  the  elements  that  make  men  greatly  esteemed 
for  intrinsic  worth,  moral  bravery,  and  the  indefatig- 
able spirit  of  capacity  ;  and  yet,  being  a  little  indiscreet 


LIEUTENANT  PARFOURY. 


one  day  under  a  burning  sun,  he  was  gone  from  us, 
just  as  I  was  beginning  to  feel  comforted  at  the 
number  of  worthy  men  nocking  to  the  standard  of  the 
Association  in  Africa. 

Another  estimable,  honest  soul  was  Lieut.  Grang. 
For  fifty  days  he  lived  in  the  same  camp  with  me,  and 
during  this  period  I  had  gathered,  by  the  light  such  close 
intercourse  with  him  had  given  me,  that  I  could  count  a 
true  man  in  him ;  for  every  spring  within  his  character 
was  set  moving  by  downright  honesty — honest  motives, 


270 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  a nd  honest  intentions.    In  all  his  composition  there  was 

in  Africa. 

not  a  grain's- weight  but  what  was  pure  manliness.  His 
frame  was  as  grand  and  true  as  his  nature.  And  yet, 
while  I  was  only  waiting  for  a  few  finishing  touches  to 
a  steamer  that  was  building  in  the  port  of  Leopold ville, 
to  take  him  with  me — he  was  too  trusty  a  man  to  be 
left  behind  when  the  Upper  Congo  was  still  vacant — 
he  forgot  something  at  a  camp  ten  miles  from  Leopold- 


LIEUTENANT  GRANG. 


ville.  Travelling  back  in  a  pelting  rain-storm  which 
overtook  him,  he  was  wetted,  and  afterwards  chilled 
for  want  of  an  immediate  change  of  clothing.  He  fell 
ill,  and  daily  grew  worse,  and  the  first  grave  at  Leopold- 
vilie  was  dug  to  bury  the  remains  of  this  noble  man. 

Dr.  Allard  deserves  warm  praise  from  me,  as  one  of 
the  most  amiable  men  living,  and  as  one  of  the  most 
painstaking  physicians  it  has  been  my  lot  to  meet.  To 
some  men  work  is  as  necessary  as  food,  and  to  this 
gentleman's  active  mind  any  restraint  in  the  pursuit 


DR.  ALLARD. 


271 


of  some  task  it  had  set  upon  accomplishing  would  be  a  Europeans 
cruel  deprivation.  Fortunately  we  have  been  able  "* 
to  accommodate  him  in  this  respect ;  and  the  con- 
struction of  the  hospital  at  Boma  has  been  an  intense 
gratification  to  him.  It  was  essential  for  the  general 
good  of  wayworn  travellers  and  sick  officers  that  some 
such  commodious  building  as  this,  with  its  ample 
verandah,  airy  rooms,  and  civilised  conveniences,  should 


DR.  ALLARD. 


be  within  easy  reach  of  men  distressed  by  bodily  fatigue, 
enervated  by  climate,  or  reduced  by  wretched  diet. 
But  without  Dr.  Allard  it  would  have  been  most  diffi- 
cult to  have  found  a  person  on  the  Congo  capable  of 
directing  the  construction.  To  him,  however,  it  was 
a  labour  of  ove,  and  a  sick  man  must  indeed  be  far 
gone  if,  with  Dr.  Al lard's  cheeriness  and  the  pleasant 
surroundings  of  bed,  board,  and  attention,  he  cannot 
recover.  Years  of  acquaintance  with  him  have  but 
deepened  my  sense  of  his  rare  and  invaluable  qualities. 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans      I  should  mention  Lieut.  Destrain  and  Mr.  Hodister, 

in  Africa. 

of  the  Kwilu-Niadi  Valley,  as  further  examples  of  man- 
liness and  indefatigability  among  the  Belgians ;  but  I 
have  no  intimate  knowledge  of  these  gentlemen.  I 
infer  so  much  from  the  number  of  years  they  have 
been  engaged  in  the  service,  from  the  reports  of  officers 
from  that  locality  and  from  a  knowledge  of  Destrain' s 
frequent  tours  of  inspection  and  survey  in  the  valley, 
and  the  value  of  the  details  which  he  has  furnished 
to  us. 

Among  the  later  British  arrivals  who  have  been 
conspicuous  for  their  capacity  and  their  all-round  fit- 
ness for  special  fields  of  labour — although  it  would  be 
premature  as  yet  to  detail  at  large  their  services — are 
Captain  Seymour  Saulez,  Major  Francis  Vetch,  Major 
Parmenter,  Mr.  E.  Massey  Shaw,  Mr.  Spenser  Burns, 
Mr.  John  Rose  Troup,  and  Engineer  Binnie. 

Captain  Saulez,  on  Lieutenant  Valcke's  appoint- 
ment to  the  command  of  Le  Stanley  Transport  Force, 
assumed  the  command  of  the  Divisional  District  of 
Stanley  Pool.  He  has  been  tried  only  for  a  few 
months,  but,  although  the  district  was  at  one  time  the 
centre  of  an  adverse  effort,  he  has  contrived  through 
his  calm  behaviour  and  consistent,  watchful,  prudent 
conduct  to  preserve  the  peace. 

Major  Vetch  is  the  chief  officer  of  the  Native  Trans- 
port. To  him  is  intrusted  the  conveyance  of  the  ten 
tons  of  goods  and  provisions,  sent  monthly  from  Vivi 
to  Stanley  Pool  along  the  south  bank.  He  is  a  great 
favourite  with   the  natives,  and  the   most  onerous, 


BRITISH  OFFICERS. 


273 


services  have  been  uniformly  and  unexceptionally  well  Europeans 

in  Africa. 

rendered. 

Every  one  who  has  come  in  contact  with  Major 
Parmenter  has  been  impressed  by  his  extreme  suavity 
of  manner.  From  some  of  those  whose  evidence  may 
be  considered  of  weight,  I  have  learned  that  he  is 
regarded  as  "  a  complete  gentleman."  To  which  I 
must  add  the  very  favourable  impressions  derived  from 
his  reports,  which  I  venture  to  say  were  the  fullest 
and  the  most  detailed  descriptions  of  events  occurring 
at  Yivi  that  I  ever  received.  While  he  was  in  charge 
of  our  lower  station,  every  courier  bore  a  perfect 
record  of  events,  written  in  an  excellent,  nervous  style, 
through  which  I  felt  that  Yivi  was  drawn  nearer 
to  me,  and  within  my  control.  Personally  I  have  not 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him. 

Mr.  E.  Massey  Shaw,  of  London,  deserves  honourable 
mention  at  my  hands  for  some  months  of  excellent 
governorship  of  Yivi  during  a  term  which,  I  fear,  gave 
him  more  pain  and  anxiety  than  comfort  or  pleasure. 
For  his  sturdy,  calm  conduct  under  distressing  cir- 
cumstances, this  hearty  acknowledgment  is  due  him. 
TVTe  had  been  unfortunate  enough  to  have  accepted  the 
services  of  an  applicant  who,  through  an  alleged  long 
term  of  service  in  the  United  States  Navy  formerly, 
and  latterly  as  American  consul  at  St.  Paul  de  Loanda, 
was  supposed  to  be  well  worthy  of  this  important 
appointment.  If  one  may  judge  by  results,  a  very 
serious  error  was  committed  by  me  when  I  accepted  this 
person  and  appointed  him  to  Yivi.  After  a  short,  but 
Yol.  II.— 18 


274 


THE  CONGO. 


disastrous  term,  he  was  dismissed.  To  repair  the  many 
mischiefs  resulting  from  mismanagement,  and  to  restore 
confidence  in  the  minds  of  the  panic-stricken  natives 
and  frightened  employes,  was  a  task  which  fell  to  his 
successor,  Mr.  Shaw.  Vivi  had  received  such  a  check  in 
its  career  that  rebuilding  was  slow  work,  consequently 
Mr.  Shaw  has  not  had  a  fair  opportunity  to  distinguish 
himself.  While  expressing  my  utter  dissatisfaction 
with  the  state  of  our  principal  station  on  the  Congo 
in  April  1884,  I  entirely  absolve  Mr.  Shaw  from  blame 
for  its  condition.  I  would  rather  express  my  pleasure 
at  the  visible  signs  of  restored  confidence  which  I  met 
after  my  long  absence  in  the  interior,  and  which  was 
solely  due  to  Mr.  Shaw's  excellent  temper  and  method 
of  treatment. 

It  is  my  belief  that  in  Mr.  John  Eose  Troup  we 
have  a  thoroughly  good  officer.  No  doubt  in  a  short 
time,  as  opportunities  offer,  his  services  will  be  more 
fully  recognised,  and  a  position  befitting  his  superior 
qualities  may  be  found  for  him. 

Mr.  Spenser  Burns  has  unfortunately  been  out  of  my 
immediate  control,  otherwise  my  very  short  acquaint- 
ance with  him  leads  me  to  believe  he  would  have  held 
a  prominent  place  in  the  record  of  notable  and  worthy 
pioneers. 

And  now,  before  closing  the  list  of  the  British 
worthies  on  the  Congo,  I  come  to  a  little  Scotchman 
named  Binnie,  a  hero  in  spirit,  and,  although  physi- 
cally not  of  heroic  mould,  great  as  the  greatest  in 
courage.    Those  who  read  the  account  of  how  I  estab- 


LEFT  ALONE. 


275 


lished  Stanley  Falls  station  and  left  this  mite  of  a  Europeans 
volunteer  all  alone  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa,  removed 
a  twenty  days'  journey  from  the  nearest  station,  and 
doomed  to  at  least  six  months'  isolation  from  the  sym- 
pathetic world,  with  only  the  thought  of  a  large  work 
before  him,  while  his  only  companionship  had  to  be 
found  among  some  1500  barbarians  400  yards  off  on 
the  same  island,  with  more  than  10,000  within  easy 
reach  of  him,  will  at  once  acknowledge  that  the  brave 
heart  merits  honourable  notice  here. 

Though  it  might  be  supposed  that  when  lie  volun- 
teered he  knew  not  that  44  he  was  taking  arms 
against  a  sea  of  troubles;"  but  when  at  parting  the 
tears  stood  in  his  eyes,  it  was  a  proof  that  the  little 
fellow  was  fully  conscious  that  he  was  in  a  critical 
position. 

I  know  not  what  his  "  bringings  up  "  may  have  been, 
but,  as  he  was  a  Scotchman,  he  may  have  learnt  a 
prayer  in  his  childhood  ;  and  it  may  be  that  his  feeling 
of  loneliness  that  first  evening  recalled  half-forgotten 
words,  and  forced  him  to  his  knees  in  the  silence  of  his 
thatched  hut.  I  cannot  say,  for  I  have  not  seen  him 
since  I  saw  the  tears  in  his  eyes  over  a  year  ago. 

But  on  the  steamer's  return,  the  little  man  was. 
discovered  to  have  done  nobly.  He  had  enlarged  his 
possessions ;  he  had  extended  his  clearing,  and  built 
an  entire  village  ;  he  had  been  planting  and  making 
gardens,  and  the  savage  natives  round  about  him 
acknowledged  him  as  their  friend.  Binnie  was  the 
umpire  in  all  arguments,  the  arbiter  in  all  political 


270 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  controversies — in  short,  he  was  the  general  referee  in 
all  the  disputes  which  occurred  in  the  locality. 

This  case  of  manly  endeavour  ought  surely  to  be 
taken  to  heart  by  some  of  the  many  puling  fellows  who 
returned  to  their  homes  and  friends  to  curse  Africa  and 
to  frame  excuses  for  their  own  utter  want  of  the  quality 
which  raises  a  man  from  the  low  level  of  incapacity. 
Here  was  an  engine-driver  who  volunteered  from  his 
lathe  at  a  Scottish  machinis  s',  and  came  out  to  Africa 
— by  no  means  a  strong  man,  not  quite  nine  stone  in 
weight — to  win  bread  for  his  old  mother.  He  rises  to 
the  top  rank  of  proper  men  through  sheer  pluck  and 
bravery  of  spirit.  What  had  he  to  say  of  "amour 
propre  "  and  "  susceptibilities''  ?  It  is  doubtful  whether 
he  heard  such  fine  phrases.  A  Scottish  machine-shop  is 
not  the  place  where  one  would  expect  to  hear  them  ; 
yet  he  acts  bravely  and  loyally,  through  a  correct 
understanding  of  the  term  amour  propre — self-respect. 
He  feels  that  he  has  given  his  word  to  be  a  true  man, 
and  that  no  one  in  after  years,  or  at  any  time,  can 
twit  him  with  acting  disloyally  to  his  promise.  So 
jealous  is  he  of  his  self-honour  or  self-respect  that  he 
becomes  the  mainstay  of  my  forlorn  hope  in  an  hour 
of  need. 

Germany  was  also  represented  by  a  man  equal  to 
the  best  from  any  land.  This  was  Frederic  Drees,  a 
mechanician,  but  a  very  nobleman  in  working  dress. 
Quiet  and  gentlemanly  in  demeanour,  and  gentle  in 
language,  he  seemed  to  have  put  on  a  working  garb 
just  to  show  how  well  dignity  befitted  honest  labour. 


GERMAN  OFFICERS. 


277 


He  never  even  used  rough  language  to  liis  black  fire-  Europeans 

in  Africa 

man,  and  that  is  great  praise  if  you  know  the  usual 
bilious  humours  of  the  average  engineer.  Throughout 
three  years  of  service  he  performed  his  duties  with  the 
gravity  of  a  philosopher,  the  dignity  of  a  gentleman, 
and  the  general  character  of  an  honourable  man. 

There  is  a  gentleman  named  Lehrman,  a  Croat, 
who,  by  the  remarkable  power  of  development  that  he 
possesses,  has  taught  me  not  to  be  too  rash  in  judging 
from  externals.  For  certainly  no  one  bore  such  an 
unpromising  exterior  and  seemed  so  utterly  inex- 
perienced as  Mr.  Lehrman,  yet  to-day  he  deservedly 
ranks  very  high  in  my  estimation  as  a  thoroughly 
valuable  officer.  Energetic,  bright,  alert  in  mind  and 
body,  possessing  a  fine  control  over  his  men,  and  en- 
joying splendid  health,  no  better  man  could  be  found 
to  take  the  command  of  Phillippeville,  on  the  Kwilu- 
Niadi.  It  was  so  isolated  in  its  position  that  no  one 
seemed  willing  to  accept  the  appointment,  but  Mr. 
Lehrman,  seeing  the  reluctance  of  others,  and  pre- 
viously too  modest  to  obtrude  himself  upon  my  notice, 
volunteered  for  the  post,  and  has  kept  me  ever  since 
free  from  anxiety  about  himself,  his  own  men,  or  the 
natives. 

There  are  many  officers  yet  deserving  of  notice. 
Foremost  among  them  are  Lieutenant  Liebrechts, 
Mr.  Monet,  and  Count  Posse.  Their  trial,  however, 
has  scarcely  been  sufficient  yet.  The  "  roll  of  honour  " 
must  not  be  too  loosely  kept.  The  labourer  is  justly 
entitled  to  his  hire,  and  the  trustworthy  agent  or  officer 


278 


THE  CONGO. 


Europeans  must  not  be  slighted  after  full  proof  of  his  worthiness. 

in  Africa. 

In  the  above  sketches  of  noble  characters,  others  who 
may  aspire  after  distinction  in  the  fields  of  work  may 
discover  what  special  attributes  are  necessary  for 
honourable  mention  and  are  most  appreciated.  All  of 
them  are  beautifully  and  clearly  summed  up  in  the 
words  of  Solomon,  the  wisest  of  men  :  "  Seest  thou  a 
man  diligent  in  his  business  ?  He  shall  stand  before 
kings !  " 


LIEUTENANT  LIEBRECHTS. 


A  wise  Greek  said  to  a  friend  that  "  the  way  to  gain 
a  good  reputation  is  to  endeavour  to  be  what  you 
desire  to  appear/' 

A  wise  Briton  has  said  :  "  The  most  unhappy  of  all 
men  is  he  who  cannot  tell  what  he  is  going  to  do,  who 
has  got  no  work  cut  out  for  him  in  the  world,  and 
does  not  go  into  it.  For  work  is  the  grand  cure  of  all 
the  maladies  and  miseries  that  ever  beset  mankind — 
honest  work  which  you  intend  getting  done." 


DILIGENCE  IN  BUSINESS. 


279 


Surely  if  what  the  Jew,  Greek,  and  Briton  uttered  Europeans 

,  .  .  -         _  in  Africa. 

each  to  his  own  nation  is  true,  it  must  be  also  true  ior 
the  two  hundred  and  sixty  Belgians,  British,  French, 
Germans,  Swedes,  and  Americans  who  during  the  last 
six  years  have  tried  their  fortunes  on  the  Congo.  Let 
those  who  are  yet  there,  and  still  hesitating,  think  of 
this. 


280 


THE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CLIMATE — PART  I. 

Value  of  reliable  knowledge — A  youth's  welcome  to  the  tropics,  and  its 
results — Wet  flannels  and  fever — Intemperance — Carelessness  in 
Europe — Inquiry  into  the  causes  of  sickness  at  the  stations  on  the 
Congo — The  cases  of  some  of  our  invalids — The  best  positions  to 
build  upon—  Captain  Burton's  advice,  "  Beef  and  beer  " — European 
opinion  of  Africa  compared  to  African  opinion  of  Europe — Banza 
Manteka:  a  missionary  station — Dangers  of  low-lying  localities — A 
fatal  "  pare  " — "  Observe  the  native  custom  " — Sickness  not  all  due 
to  miasma — Number  of  deaths  in  our  Expedition — Instances  of  how 
the  deaths  occurred — Urgent  advice  to  those  who  wish  to  thrive  in 
the  tropics. 

climate—  The   clearer   I  can  make  this   chapter,  the  better 

Parti.         ...  ... 

suited  it  will  be  for  those  individuals  who,  either  now, 
or  perhaps  in  the  course  of  the  coming  years,  may 
have  intercourse  with  the  regions  under  and  near  the 
African  Equator.  There  are  so  many  wrong  and  utterly 
absurd  conceptions  abroad  regarding  the  African  climate 
that  it  is  about  time  some  one  capable  of  speaking 
from  experience  should  utter  his  opinions  bravely  and 
plainly  ;  and  as  this  book,  as  may  be  judged,  has  its 
purpose,  it  would  be  incomplete  without  this  chapter. 

It  should  be  begun  with  a  confession  by  the  author 
of  having  himself  lived  ignorantly  for  many  years 
in  Africa,  just  as  there  are  men  along  the  African 


A  TROPICAL  WELCOME. 


281 


coast,  and  up  the  oil  rivers,  the  Niger  and  the  Congo,  Climate— 

Part  L 

living  at  this  minute  m  the  densest  ignorance  of  the 
dangers  around  them,  and  of  the  simple  philosophy  of 
living  healthily  and  well  amid  these  dangers.  It 
may  be  presumed,  also,  that  if  1  live  in  Africa  again,  I 
shall  still  be  in  ignorance  of  many  things,  despite  my 
accumulated  experience  of  seventeen  years.  But,  un- 
like many  others,  I  have  an  intense  desire  and  strong 
inclination  to  acquire  as  much  of  the  wisdom  of  life  as 
a  man's  naturally  slow  wit  can  acquire  In  the  same 
measure  as  my  past  conduct,  which  has  been  a  com- 
pound of  ignorance,  indolence,  indifference,  and  natural 
ineptitude,  has  been  more  than  frequently  scourged 
with  the  pains  and  the  penalties  due  to  my  dulness, 
rashness,  and  temerity,  so  shall  I  be  in  the  future 
a  victim  to  punishments,  unconsciously  self-inflicted^ 
whenever  I  shall  trespass  against  the  silent  and 
unwritten  laws  of  health. 
The  young  European — 

His  mother's  joy,  his  father's  sole  delight 

That  with  much  cost,  yet  with  more  care  was  bred," 

sighing  after  adventure,  volunteers  his  services,  and 
sails  hopefully  to  the  Congo.  He  is  evidently  in 
splendid  health  on  his  arrival,  but  what  to  do  with 
that  priceless  blessing,  which  has  been,  if  possible, 
bettered  by  the  long  sea  voyage,  he  knows  no  more 
than  (if  the  Darwinian  theory  is  right)  his  long-tailed 
progenitor.  He  has  heard  that  it  is  slightly  warm  on 
the  Congo— at  least,  so  the  meteorologists  say  ;  but  in 
Europe,  he  smiled  at  this;  thought  he  could  well  endure 


282 


THE  CONGO. 


ciiniate—  that  heat,  since  Europe  in  summer  was  u  ever  so  much 

Part  I  '  . 

hotter."  Still,  after  the  ship  drops  anchor  in  Banana 
Creek,  an  uncomfortable  quantity  of  perspiration  exudes 
through  the  pores  of  his  skin,  and  the  flannels  that 
were  endurable  at  sea  become  almost  intolerable.  On 
stepping  ashore  this  warmth  increases,  the  flannels 
absorb  the  perspiration  until  they  are  wet  and  heavy, 
and  cling  uncomfortably  to  his  body.  The  underclothes 
are  full ;  the  outward  clothing  has  begun  to  be  damp, 
and  dark  streaks  along  the  seams  of  his  coat  show 
that  they  are  actually  wet,  until  in  fact  he  represents 
a  water-jug  covered  with  wet  flannel  such  as  we  sling 
up  in  the  tropics  as  a  water-cooler. 

The  youth  is  innocent  of  any  idea  if  aught  should 
be  done  by  him  as  a  precaution  against  the  furtive 
influences  of  the  new  climate.  The  temperature 
without  is  perhaps  105°-110°  Fahr. ;  but  it  will  be 
cooler  in  the  verandah.  And  now,  having  arrived  and 
being  hospitably  invited  to  take  a  chair,  he  gladly 
accepts  the  invitation,  at  the  same  time  doffing  his 
helmet,  wiping  his  red,  parboiled  face,  and  fanning 
himself  with  his  pocket  kerchief.  He  himself  observes 
that  the  temperature  is  near  25°  cooler  than  outdoors. 
No  one  would  offer  water  to  a  stranger,  but  wine, 
schnapps,  beer,  gin,  seltzer,  &c. 

See  the  unsophisticated  home-bred  youth,  how  bash- 
fully he  accepts !  Is  he  not  in  Congo-land  ?  Why 
may  he  not  ape  the  moustached  and  brave  manhood 
about  him  ?  "I  will  take  wine,  if  you  please." 
Thanks !  and  a  glass  of  black-red  Portuguese  wine 


WET  FLANNELS  AND  FEVER. 


283 


is  handed  to  him,  which  after  trial  he  discovers  to  be  Climate— 
more  potent  than  a  bottle  of  champagne. 

This  strong  draught  of  wine  has  infused  courage 
in  him ;  it  leads  to  conviviality  and  apparent  loss  of 
strangeness.  He  sits  longer,  and  becomes  interested 
in  the  gossip  of  the  coast,  which,  with  men  of  his 
class,  is  usually  made  up  of  fevers,  frivolous  localisms, 
of  crocodiles,  or  hippos,  or  "  niggers,"  and  such  recitals 
as  would  outlast  a  Lapland  night.  But  it  is  now 
evening  and  dinner  time. 

The  ill-fated  youth  has  enjoyed  his  dinner  and  potent 
wine,  and  a  comfortable  arm-chair  receives  his  repleted 
form.  The  night  is  cool,  and  gracious,  and  bland ;  the 
stars  shine  brightly,  but  there  is  an  unaccountable 
chilliness  in  the  air,  and  the  poor  young  man  has  long 
ago  forgotten  the  wringing- wet  state  of  his  flannels, 
and  could  not  discern,  through  his  verdant  experience, 
that  he  was  like  a  water-cooler.  At  last  he  seeks  the 
couch .  offered  him  by  the  hospitable  trader,  on  which 
he  tosses  about  till  cockcrow  with  disturbed  dreams. 
In  the  morning  he  feels  unwell ;  his  tongue  is  furred, 
and  a  strange  lassitude  has  taken  possession  of  him. 
This  feeling  grows  into  a  nauseous  sickness.  He  is 
visited  about  the  time  of  dejeuner,  and  is  discovered 
with  flushed  face,  watery  eyes  and  a  rapid  pulse,  and 
declared  to  have  a  fever ! 

Then  there  is  the  medicating  of  the  sick  man  in  a 
rude  unskilful  way,  and  a  rough  but  kindly  nursing  of 
him.  But  the  personal  attendant  is  a  black  negro,  to 
whom  the  white  man  is  an  absolute  stranger.  The 


284 


THE  COS  GO. 


Climate—  scene  ends  after  a  few  days  with  convalescence  perhaps, 

Part  I. 

and  a  slow  recovery,  or,  id  an  extreme  case,  with  death, 
when  the  body  will  be  interred  at  the  Point  among  the 
remains  of  other  unfortunates.  But  no  lesson  will  be 
drawn  from  that  death  any  more  than  from  the  many 
preceding  deaths,  until  those  who  can  read  and  learn 
will  obtain  it  from  this  chapter. 

Truly  it  is  extremely  discouraging  to  feel  that  of 
the  twenty  other  young  or  mature  gentlemen  who  may 
have  seen  this  youth,  and  perhaps  enjoyed  his  society 
for  this  one  evening,  there  is  not  one  of  them  can  make 
an  approachable  guess  at  the  real  cause  which  cut  him 
off  so  prematurely.  Each  will  have  his  opinion :  the 
old  veteran  will  remark  that  it  was  a  pity  such  a  boy 
should  have  left  his  mother ;  another  will  hazard 
a  remark  that,  no  doubt,  it  was  some  form  of  organic 
disease ;  another  will  attribute  it  to  hereditary  weak- 
ness, and  he  will  quote  De  Bloeme  and  Greshoff  and 
Muller,  and  several  others  who  came  out  as  boys  and 
throve  marvellously  on  the  climate.  One  thoughtless 
man  will  cry  out,  "Another  victim  of  Africa  !  Cruel, 
murderous  Africa  ! "  while  one  may  perhaps  venture 
to  utter  his  belief  that  it  was  the  Portuguese  wine, 
which,  if  not  very  much  diluted,  is  as  bad  as  brandy  ! 
And  so  on — all  mere  surmises,  as  far  opposite  to  the 
truth  as  the  truth  is  to  lying ! 

The  fever  was  caused  by  sitting  in  his  wet  flannels 
in  the  cold  night  air.  We  know  how  a  young  man  in 
Europe,  returning  home  in  wet  clothes,  feeling  shivery, 
may  be  attacked  with  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  and, 


CARELESSNESS  IN  EUROPE. 


285 


despite  the  most  loving  attention  and  highest  medical  Climate— 
skill,  may  be  carried  off  by  death.*  Life  in  Africa 
does  not  exempt  another  young  man  from  a  like  effect 
arising  from  a  similar  cause.  Strange  to  say,  young 
men  fresh  from  Europe  are  very  prone  to  believe  that 
if  their  flannels  are  made  "  wringing  wet  "from  violent 
perspiration,  they  are  not  liable  to  the  same  dangers 
as  one  who  has  been  wetted  and  chilled  by  a  wintry 
rain-storm.  On  their  return  to  Europe,  however, 
they  have  rather  inverted  their  opinions,  preferring 
to  believe  that  a  sudden  exposure  of  xhe  body  when 
perspiring  to  a  cold  draught  is  not  so  dangerous  as  a 
similar  experiment  would  be  in  Africa. 

Many  will  say  that  this  is  incredible,  but  such  errors 
of  judgment  occur  nevertheless.  There  are  about 
twenty  cases  to  my  personal  knowledge  to  prove  the 
statement.  One  case,  resulting  in  pneumonia,  was 
lately  telegraphed  from  Berlin  over  to  England,  and 
a  friend  of  mine  died  but  a  short  time  ago  from 
inflammation  of  the  lungs,  after  successfully  enduring 
several  years'  work  on  the  Congo.  Several  of  my 
English  friends  have  also  lost  coloured  men  from 
Africa  through  their  rash  forgetfulness  of  avoiding 
draughts  when  heated  by  the  warm  temperature  of 
their  rooms.  I  have  been  a  victim  to  my  own  care- 
lessness repeatedly,  and  though  I  know  well  what  the 

*  A  medical  authority  in  New  York  has  lately  drawn  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  violent  exercise  indulged  in  by  20,000  young  people  at 
the  skating  rinks  every  evening  has  caused  an  alarming  increase  of 
pneumonia,  149  deaths  in  one  week  being  reported.  This  exercise  induces 
copious  perspiration  and  fatigue,  and,  thoughtless  of  consequences,  the 
young  have  sallied  out  from  the  rinks  to  encounter  the  keen  cold  blasts. 


286 


THE  CONGO. 


ciimato—  tedious,  exasperating  consequences  of  such  thought- 
less folly  will  be,  an  unlucky  abstraction  of  mind  or 
some  hapless  oversight  has  caused  me  to  look  out 
of  the  window  of  a  warm  room  ;  or  some  bore  has 
button-holed  me  before  an  open  door  through  which 
the  gusty  wind  enters  ;  then  comes  the  tedious  catarrh, 
the  painful  bronchitis,  and  their  protracted  chest 
affections,  tempting  me  to  exclaim,  like  the  Roman 
patrician  of  old,  who  denied  zealous  duty  to  his  Im- 
perator  in  cold,  chilly,  feverish  Albion,  "  Ob,  England  ; 
cruel,  murderous  England!" 

At  Yivi,  for  instance,  I  would  undertake  that  the 
strongest  man  would  have  a  fever  within  a  few  hours, 
but  it  will  depend  on  the  condition  of  the  man's  system 
how  severe  or  how  mild  it  will  be.  Given  a  case,  having 
blood  already  impoverished  by  poor  food,  with  system 
sapped  and  weakened  by  various  trifling  little  African 
"  colds,"  the  fever  that  could  be  inflicted  on  him  might 
prove  dangerous  to  life,  while  the  strongest  man,  with 
all  his  fresh  blood,  his  splendid  physique,  and  pro- 
phylactic precautions,  would  be  sure  to  regret  during 
five  or  six  days  that  he  had  exposed  himself  to  it. 

At  Yivi  there  is  an  excellent  place  to  prove  the  above 
truth  ;  let  some  Dr.  Koch  try  it.  I  should  say  in  this 
manner  :  "  Go  down  to  the  Nkusu  Yallev,  or  Yivi 
landing  place,  become  well  heated,  perspiring,  walk 
briskly  up  hill,  which  will  no  doubt  increase  your  per- 
spiration ;  then  seat  yourself  on  the  brow  of  the  station 
hill  in  a  comfortable  cane  chair,  and  occupy  your  mind 
with  Fothergill's,  Fayrer's,  or  Lauder  Brunton's  ex- 


CAUSES  OF  SICKNESS. 


287 


planations  of  malaria,  say,  for  an  hour,  until  you  are 
well  chilled,  then  go  to  dinner  that  evening  with  what 
appetite  you  may." 

I  have  suffered  during  my  long  African  experience 
over  120  fevers,  great  and  slight,  and  I  may  have 
suffered  over  one  hundred  before  suspecting  that  many 
of  these  were  preventible  in  other  ways  than  by  taking 
quinine,  and  its  preliminary  remedies,  and  that  there 
were  other  causes  productive  of  fever  besides  malaria, 
and  miasma.  The  last  six  years  in  Africa  have  enlarged 
my  experience  greatly.  Added  to  my  own  personal 
sufferings  have  been  those  of  about  260  Europeans  as 
ignorant  as  myself  of  the  causes  of  these  fevers.  The 
sick  lists  of  various  stations  have  been  inspected  by  me, 
and  the  inspection  has  created  a  desire  to  know  why 
fevers  and  sickness  were  more  frequent  at  one  place 
than  another.  I  have  been  astonished  to  discover 
that  fevers  were  more  rife  at  a  station  near  which  no 
one  could  possibly  find  sufficient  putrefying  vegetation 
to  account  for  the  sickness. 

Old  Yivi,  for  instance,  is  situated  on  a  rocky  plat- 
form, with  a  sudden  drainage  on  three  sides,  and  only 
during  the  rainy  season  does  the  wind  come  from  the 
north-west,  where  rises  the  towering  mass  of  Castle 
Hill.  For  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  between  us  and  the 
low  ground  near  Boma,  the  Congo  flows  between  the 
rock  slopes  of  two  mountain  lines,  which  rise  from  200 
to  800  feet  above  it.  Yet,  old  Yivi,  excepting  Manyanga, 
is  the  most  sickly  spot  in  all  our  possessions,  if  the  sick 
list  is  at  all  reliable,  and  I  personally  suffered  more 


288 


THE  CONGO. 


climate—  vexatious  "little  fevers,"  at  that  station  than  at  any 

Parti.  .        .  J 

other.  The  third  most  unhealthy  station  is  Le'opoldville, 
though  during  the  last  year  there  has  been  a  decided 
improvement  in  it.  But  if  our  old-fashioned  ideas  of  the 
cause  of  fever  were  correct,  it  should  have  presented  a 
much  cleaner  health-bill  than  several  of  the  stations  on 
the  Upper  Congo,  some  of  which  are  situate  only  about 
ten  feet  above  high  water,  with  perhaps  many  hundred 
square  miles  of  black  fat  loam  or  damp  forest  on  three 
sides  of  it.  Yet  to  despatch  debilitated  persons  from 
Leopold ville  to  these  upper  stations,  in  apparently  un- 
healthy situations  had  the  same  effect  as  sending  them 
to  a  sanatorium  of  established  repute.  Young  Glave, 
of  Yorkshire,  while  at  Le'opoldville,  is  seen  gradually 
becoming  cadaverous,  his  form  becomes  less  and  less 
rigid  and  upright ;  his  pallid  face,  white  lips,  and  dark 
lines  under  the  eyes,  warn  us  that  he  undergoes  the 
strange  vicissitudes  common  and  necessary  to  unfledged 
Europeans.  At  his  own  request  he  is  commissioned  to 
build  a  station  at  Lukolela,  and  the  change  in  two  months 
is  simply  astounding — he  becomes  at  least  three  stone 
heavier  in  weight,  living  light  is  in  the  eyes,  his  form 
is  pliant,  vigorous,  his  movement  quick ;  his  every 
action  betokens  lusty  young  life.  Lieut.  Liebrichts,  at 
Le'opoldville,  is  a  subject  creating  great  anxiety  to  me. 
I  whisper  my  suspicion  to  the  medical  man  in  charge, 
that  this  is  another  unfit  case  for  Africa.  Suggestions 
are  not  wanting,  but  the  doctor  is  himself  inclined  to 
despair.  He  is  taken  to  Bolobo  on  my  way  to  Stanley 
Falls.    My  return  down  river  is  haunted  by  a  fear  that 


INQUIRY  INTO  SICKNESS. 


289 


bad  news  of  him  await  me  there,  instead  of  which  a  climate— 
magnificent  specimen  of  manhood  greets  me,  and  after 
a  wondering  gaze  from  all  of  us  on  the  steamers, 
something  in  the  tone  and  manner  remind  us  of  our 
sure-to-be  buried  friend.  Why,  it  is  Liebrichts  him- 
self, a  hearty,  sleek  man,  who  has  a  strong  grasp,  and  a 
bright  cheery  welcome  to  all  of  us. 

Mr.  Swinburne,  one  of  the  "  faithful "  among  the 
expedition,  is  always  ailing,  ulcerous  or  feverish  con- 
tinually, at  Yivi,  Manyanga,  or  Leopoldville ;  but 
being  dispatched  to  Kinshassa  on  Stanley  Pool,  only 
five  miles  above  Le'opoldville,  he  lives  eighteen  months, 
to  my  knowledge,  without  a  single  attack  of  indis- 
position— a  constant  marvel  to  his  friends,  that  a  low- 
lying  station  like  Kinshassa  can  preserve  such  a  man 
alive  and  well. 

Lieutenants  Vangele  and  Cbquilhat,  the  builders  of 
Equator  Station,  and  the  vanguard  of  the  Europeans 
on  the  Upper  Congo,  each  time  we  visit  them,  are 
anxiously  asked,  "  What  of  the  climate  ?" 

"  Splendid  !"  the  gallant  young  officers  cry.  "  No- 
thing could  be  better.  Do  not  trouble  yourself  about 
us ;  give  us  a  little  coffee  or  tea,  and  enough  to  have  a 
petit  verve  occasionally  for  our  cafe  noir — that  is  all  we 
want ;  our  own  gardens  produce  all  the  rest.  As  for 
health,  we  two  ought  to  satisfy  any  one  of  the  salu- 
brity of  this  region." 

W^hen  I  examine  the  muster-roll  of  those  along 
the  Upper  Congo  since  1882,  I  find  there  have  been 
twenty -nine   Europeans   above  Leopoldville,   out  of 
Vol.  II.— 19 


290 


THE  CONGO. 


whom  two  have  been  drowned  and  only  one  died  of 
sickness,  and  twenty  have  either  served  their  three 
years'  term  of  service,  or  are  nearly  completing  their 
term.  Only  one  has  resigned  through  reason  of 
severe  illness. 

Considering  that  the  further  they  have  advanced 
into  the  interior,  the  less  certain  the  Europeans  are 
of  receiving  external  aid  and  supply  of  customary 
adjuncts  to  their  economic  fare  from  Europe,  the  above 
statement  is  most  creditable  to  the  climate. 

Leopoldville. — which,  since  1883,  has  been  steadily 
improving  its  sanitary  condition  by  the  increase  of  its 
comforts  and  conveniences,  through  the  enlarged  views 
which  the  natives  entertain  of  white  men,  added  to  the 
immensely  greater  ability  and  experience  of  the  Euro- 
peans in  charge, — despite  the  larger  extent  of  cultivated 
area,  and  the  more  perfect  order  and  cleanliness  of  its 
surroundings,  is  still  subject  to  light  waves  of  sickness 
occasionally,  although  they  show  nothing  approaching 
the  former  severity,  which  sometimes,  in  one  day, 
incapacitated  one  half  the  number  of  whites  at  the 
station. 

In  the  moral  atmosphere  of  Leopoldville  there  is  no 
fault  to  be  found.  The  conduct  of  all  the  people  is 
decidedly  virtuous  and  above  reproach.  Neither  can 
they  be  charged  with  liberal  consumption  of  the  strong 
wine  or  ardent  spirits,  which  are  so  plentiful  on  the 
coast,  because  these  cannot  be  transported  in  such  quan- 
tities as  to  permit  of  such  extravagance.  The  houses 
are  large,  commodious,  cools  airy,  well  ventilated,  and 


THE  HEALTH  OF  VI VI. 


291 


well  protected  against  the  heat  of  the  sun.  With  more  Climate— 
labour,  and  in  time,  many  additional  improvements 
may  be  effected  in  draining  and  clearing  all  that 
remains  uncleared  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
the  station.  Every  square  yard  of  clean  open  ground 
will  be  a  little  gain  in  health.  Yet,  at  the  same  time, 
I  doubt  if  it  will  ever  be  perfect  in  its  present  position. 

Yivi,  again,  to  which  the  steamers  from  the  seaport 
bring  constant  supplies  of  necessaries,  even  luxuries, 
never  lacks  wines  or  spirits,  and  is  many  degrees  better, 
for  furniture-equipment  of  its  buildings  than  Leopold- 
ville,  is  much  inferior  for  the  salubrity  of  its  position. 
This  cannot  be  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  it  is  nearer 
to  the  lowlands  of  the  sea-coast  than  Leopoldville, 
because  Lutete'  Station,  situate  on  the  plateau  eighty 
miles  nearer  the  sea-coast  than  Le'opoldville,  is  one 
of  the  healthiest  stations  on  the  Congo.  Nor  can  it 
be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  immoderate  indulgence 
in  wine  and  spirits  might  be  charged  to  some  that 
have  disgraced  themselves,  since  the  most  virtuous 
and  well-conducted  have  also  suffered,  though  not 
nearly  to  the  same  extent.  The  rocky  composition  of 
the  site  of  the  station,  the  innumerable  means  of 
drainage  around,  the  entire  absence  of  anything  likely 
to  vitiate  the  atmosphere  from  putrefying  vegetation, 
render  the  problem  still  more  difficult  to  resolve,  with- 
out the  key  to  the  solution  afforded  by  a  comparison 
of  the  sick  lists  and  the  positions  of  each  station. 

The  truth  is  that  the  sickness  of  Yivi  is  attributable 
to  various  causes,  but  first  and  principally  to  its  defective 


292 


THE  COXGO. 


Climate—  position,  being  situate  on  a  projection  in  the  neck  of  a 
mountain  funnel.  The  mouth  of  this  funnel  gapes  about 
fourteen  miles  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  then  contracts  just 
above  Boma  to  about  a  mile  in  width,  and  at  Vivi  to 
about  1300  yards.  The  pier  platform  on  which  the 
old  station  was  built  projects  about  300  yards  across 
this  breadth,  receiving  the  cold  south-west  sea-breeze, 
which,  blowing  a  five-knot  breeze  at  Banana,  is  felt  of 
the  force  of  fourteen  knots  at  Vivi. 


THE  FUNNEL-SHAPED  GORGE  OF  THE  LOWER  COXGO. 


Manyangn,  another  unhealthy  station  for  its  un- 
fortunate position,  is  only  higher  up  the  neck  of  the 
funnel.  Leopold ville  again  is  placed  slightly  better, 
but  still  defective,  being  on  the  slope  of  a  hill  by  which 
the  plateau  winds  and  the  upper  strata  of  canon  blasts 
escape,  to  be  diffused  over  the  expanse  of  Stanley  Pool. 
Boma  is  superior  to  Vivi  for  its  position,  because  near 
it  the  Congo  Valley  is  less  confined,  and  would  be  con- 
sequently more  salubrious  were  there  some  drainage  of 


A  SEA- COAST  POSITION. 


293 


the  flats  around  it  effected.    Banana  Point  ought  to  climate— 

Part  I. 

be  superior  to  both,  because  the  hills  are  still  farther 
removed,  were  it  not  so  low,  and  its  neighbourhood  so 
offensive.  The  site  consists  of  sea-sand,  through  which 
the  sea  and  river  water  percolate  underneath ;  the 
hollows  within  present  malodorous  abominations,  and 
perhaps  the  absence  of  strong  moral  public  opinion 
has  conduced  to  its  past  evil  repute.  At  the  same 
time,  a  wise  expenditure  of  money,  and  good  order, 


FLAN  TO  ILLUSTRATE  HOW  THE  GOUGE  DISCHARGES  ITS  WINDS  AT 
LEOPOLD VILLE. 


would  greatly  improve  the  chances  of  life  on  the  sandy 
point.  It  is  certain  that  a  position  on  the  sea  coast,  if 
well  chosen,  with  cleanly  living,  aided  by  wisdom  in 
the  petty  details  of  life,  ought  not  to  be  more  unhealthy 
than  any  other  place  on  the  globe  ;  because  the  mere 
heat  is  no  worse  than  mere  cold — it  is  the  careless  ex- 
posure to  both  that  invokes  its  malignancy.  The  heat 
is  as  cruel  to  the  unprotected  body  as  it  is  to  the  head 


25)4 


THE  CONGO. 


ciimato—  of  a  European,  but  so  is  the  extreme  cold.  It  is  the 
wise  government  of  conduct  that  renders  both  equally 
harmless. 

An  open  position  then,  especially  if  its  surroundings 
are  happy — that  is  to  say,  removed  as  much  as  possible 
from  all  deposits  and  deleterious  influences  of  putrefy- 
ing vegetable  matter,  with  the  air  freely  diffused  around, 
with  careful  provision  against  accidents  from  the  ex- 
treme heat,  with  changes  of  temperature  guarded  against 
by  the  same  precautions  that  are  adopted  in  Europe, 
with  good  food,  with  work  to  amuse  or  interest  the 
mind,  with  due  means  to  check  the  influences  resulting 
from  such  a  total  change  in  life  as  the  tropic  climate 
demands,  and  with  proper  moral  conduct,  1  maintain, 
will  enable  the  European  to  thrive  in  a  hot  climate  as 
well  as  in  any  climate  under  the  sun. 

Travellers  vary  in  their  estimation  of  what  is  fitting 
for  the  intending  immigrant  to  the  tropics.  Captain 
Burton,  after  a  brief  visit  to  the  Congo,  cries  out  for 
"  Beef  and  beer."  However  startling  at  first  sight  this 
may  be,  yet  there  is  some  truth  in  it.  "  Beef,"  by  all 
means,  that  is  good  substantial  nourishing  food.  Let 
there  be  a  variety  of  fresh  animal  food ;  well  cooked 
beef,  mutton,  game,  fish  and  fowl,  with  vegetables- 
potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  beets,  carrots — and  good 
bread,  butter,  jam,  tea,  or  coffee,  with  all  sensible  dishes 
that  the  cook's  skill  can  furnish.  Even  although  other 
externals  are  not  quite  perfect,  good  food  will  better 
enable  one  to  live  and  withstand  the  troubles  of  climatic 
change  than  bad  food.     But  about  u  beer "  I  differ. 


MODERATION  IN  FOOD  AND  DRINK. 


295 


The  English  beers  are  too  bilious  for  Africa,  and  the  Climate— 
German  beers  are  not  absolutely  necessary,  so  long  as 
red  and  white  wines — claret  and  Madeiras — are  obtain- 
able ;  and  I  would  strongly  recommend  that  these  should 
be  taken  moderately,  with  dinner,  and  never — abso- 
lutely never — during  daylight.  If  one  exception  should 
be  allowed  it  would  be  after  a  severe  strain  of  the 
system,  when  you  will  be  compelled  to  confine  your- 
self to  your  house  until  the  effect  produced  by  it  has 
completely  passed  away.  For,  however  small  this 
effect  may  be,  whether  a  slight  exhilaration,  or  com- 
plete intoxication,  it  emboldens  or  inspires  you  with  a 
false  courage  that  may  be  fatal,  if  you  are  tempted  to 
defy  the  direct  sun-heat  while  under  the  elevating 
influence  of  the  beverage. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington's  receipt  for  the  promotion 
of  health  in  India,  is  also  applicable  to  the  Congo. 

"  I  know  but  one  receipt  for  good  health  in  this 
country,  and  that  is  to  live  moderately,  to  drink  little 
or  no  wine,  to  use  exercise,  to  keep  the  mind  employed, 
and,  if  possible,  to  keep  in  good  humour  with  the  world. 
The  last  is  the  most  difficult,  for  as  you  have  often 
observed,  there  is  scarcely  a  good-tempered  man  in 
India." 

All  those  officers  on  the  Congo  who  have  reflected  at 
all  will  admit  that  a  moderate  life  has  been  proved  to 
be  more  successful  than  an  immoderate  one.  Modera- 
tion in  food,  as  well  as  in  drinking  ardent  liquor.  To 
drink  little  wine  is  excellent  advice,  but  I  am  not 
yet  prepared  to  admit  that  total  abstinence  from  wine 


296 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  is  better  than   temperance,  either   in  Africa  or  in 

Part  I.  r 

Europe.  Employment  for  the  mind  I  have  already 
urged;  and  if  a  man  can  keep  in  good  humour  with 
the  world  it  means  that  he  is  in  good  health  from  wise 
living,  a  happy  situation,  agreeable  employment,  and 
that  the  world  is  pleasant  with  him. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  if  a  man  in  a 
violent  state  of  perspiration  subjects  his  unprepared 
person  to  a  cold  draught  of  wind  while  in  such  a  con- 
dition, the  fact  that  he  is  temperate  in  his  life  and 
habits,  and  has  always  dieted  his  body  wisely,  richly, 
and  nobly,  will  not  save  him  in  Africa  from  a  fever, 
any  more  than  that  it  will  save  him  in  northern  Europe 
from  a  cold  and  its  tedious  pains.  Neither  "  beef  and 
beer  "  or  "  beef  and  brandy,"  nor  all  the  drugs  of  the 
pharmacopoeia  will  save  him.  Or,  if  the  position  of  his 
house  is  so  unwisely  chosen  that  his  body  is  perpetually 
subjected  to  violent  changes  of  temperature — one 
minute  in  a  state  of  profuse  perspiration  and  the  other 
minute  outdoors  without  additional  clothing,  exposed 
to  a  chilling  blast  that  closes  the  pores,  and  chills  the 
damp  flannel  pressed  against  the  body — his  perfect  diet 
will  not  avail  him.  My  wonder  is,  not  that  so  many 
have  returned  to  Europe  disheartened  at  the  weakness 
of  the  resistance  their  constitutions  were  able  to  offer 
to  the  vicissitudes  which  their  ignorance  subjected 
their  own  persons  to,  but  at  the  fact  that  there  are  still 
so  many  who  bravely  endured  all.  And,  now  that  so 
much  has  been  cleared  of  what  was  before  so  mysterious 
to  us  in  Africa,  let  us  try  how  it  would  answer  in  well- 


SICKNESS  AT  SIERRA  LEONE. 


297 


drained  and  well-fed  London,  or  any  other  English  ciimat 

Fart 

city.  Let  us  heat  our  sitting-room,  until  the  under- 
clothing gets  thoroughly  soaked  with  perspiration,  then 
walk  outdoors  to  a  street  corner,  and  stand  on  a  windy 
day  without  additional  clothing,  and  wait  till  next 
morning  for  the  result.  Or  go  to  a  London  ball, 
become  heated  with  dancing  in  a  crowded  room,  then 
walk  home  in  the  same  dress,  and  tell  me  honestly 
if,  in  addition  to  months  of  this  experience,  you  add 
months  of  poor  diet,  bad  cooking,  and  other  inde- 
scribable discomforts,  you  wonder  that  the  African 
continent  has  an  evil  character,  and  that  so  many  un- 
fortunate pioneers  of  trade  and  exploration  have  left 
their  bones  in  its  earth. 

Let  future  governors  of  Sierra  Leone  bear  this  great 
cause  in  mind,  and  see  if  they  cannot  rectify  the  posi- 
tion of  their  residence,  and  that  of  the  barracks  in 
their  town.  It  may  be,  a  new  light  will  dawn  on 
them,  to  the  great  benefit  of  themselves  and  the  com- 
fort of  their  families. 

I  have  said  that  Yivi  owed  its  unheal thiness  prin- 
cipally to  its  defective  position,  to  its  exposure  to  the 
cold  blast  blowing  up  the  mountain  funnel  from  the 
south-west.  I  have  taken  Vivi  as  a  type — and  the 
same  is  applicable  to  any  similarly  exposed  camp, 
station,  town,  or  city  in  equatorial  Africa.  Another 
singular  illustration  of  this  is  the  fact  that  in  ascending 
tlie  Congo,  notwithstanding  the  long  array  of  swampy 
islands  and  shores,  and  the  want  of  exercise  on  such 
small  boats,  we  enjoyed  excellent  health.    But  when 


298 


THE  CONGO. 


1  ijnnto-  descending  the  river  at  full  speed  the  wind,  sharp,  cold, 
and  chilling,  frequently  prostrated  us.  Under  shelter, 
in  the  cabin,  or  when  protected  by  the  bulwarks,  the 
temperature  was  warm  enough  to  induce  an  insensible 
perspiration,  but  when  we  emerged  for  some  duty  from 
behind  our  shelter,  the  wind  produced  that  feeling 
which  ended  in  fever.  A  glass  barrier  in  front  of  our 
bodies  while  piloting  the  steamers  down  river  would 
have  saved  us  from  these  distressing  attacks. 

I  have  said,  also,  that  this  exposure,  and  the  quick 
and  frequent  transitions  we  thereby  experienced,  though 
the  principal,  were  not  the  only  causes  of  fever  ;  and  I 
have  also  asserted,  and  proved,  that  the  warm  tempera- 
ture of  equatorial  Africa  is  not  dangerous  ;  that  the  ill- 
effects  suffered  indirectly  through  it  are  easily  remedi- 
able, provided  circumstances  will  permit  it,  and  mostly 
all  other  causes  are  preventable. 

Europeans  going  into  Africa  are  precisely  in  the  same 
state  of  ignorance  as  Central  African  aborigines  coming 
to  Europe.  Both  commit  the  gravest  imprudences,  and 
being  severe  sufferers  through  their  imprudent  follies, 
they  ignorantly  blame  the  country  and  its  climate. 
"  Cruel,  murderous  Africa  ! "  exclaims  the  northern 
European.  "  Deadly  and  hateful  Europe  !  "  exclaims 
the  dark  aborigine  from  the  African  tropics,  when  the 
first  cold  draught  from  the  open  window  or  door  visits 
him  with  a  protracted  bronchial  sickness. 

I  have  pointed  out  our  short-comings  in  judgment, 
and  the  sick  lists  at  Boma,  Vivi,  Isangila,  Manyanga, 
Bayneston,  and  Leopoldville  will  prove  my  words.  But 


VALLEY  STATIONS. 


299 


I  must  now  point  out  another  cause  of  sickness,  to  climate— 
illustrate  the  long-suffering  and  numerous  calamities 
which  purchase  experience,  although  nothing  short  of 
dynamital  terror  moves  the  majority  of  mortal  men  to 
immediate  action. 

I  will  take  Banza  Manteka,  a  station  of  the  pious, 
hard-striving,  long-enduring  missioners,  belonging  to 
the  "  Livingstone  Inland  Congo  Mission,"  as  a  type  of 
another  cause  of  sickness.  It  is  situate  in  a  hollow, 
like  a  bowl  deep  sunk  in  the  bosom  of  enfolding  hills. 
Perhaps  from  one  hill  crest  to  the  opposing  hill  crest,  a 
line  drawn  exactly  bisecting  the  station  would  be  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  in  length.  On  one  side,  however, 
that  opposite  to  the  prevailing  winds,  it  is  open,  having 
access  to  the  valley  of  Ntombo  Lukuti.  Here,  one 
would  say,  is  a  snug  nest,  where  the  howling  winds 
cannot  chill  to  death  the  pale-faced  European  ;  and  to 
make  it  still  more  snug  and  cosy  the  poor  fellows  in 
their  zeal  for  work  have  planted  gardens  of  bananas 
and  papaw  trees,  whose  beautiful  fronds  and  leafage 
almost  hide  the  dwelling  of  these  God-serving  men. 

In  the  high,  exposed  places  we  consider  the  rainy 
season  as  the  healthiest.  Some  have  supposed  it  to  be 
so  from  the  greater  clearness  and  purity  of  the  atmo- 
sphere whereas  in  fact  it  is  only  because  the  cold  winds 
are  hushed  and  we  enjoy  an  uniform  warmth.  But  if 
this  season  is  the  healthiest  at  Vivi  and  other  stations 
in  the  Congo  canon,  it  is  the  most  unhealthy  in  hollows 
like  these  of  Banza  Manteka  and  Lukunga  stations. 

After  a  rain-fall  the  atmosphere  is  clear  and  the  sky 


300 


THE  CONGO. 


CHmate—  is  of  an  Italian  hue.    During  this  temporary  clearness 

Part  J. 

the  atmosphere  offers  the  least  obstruction  to  the  direct 
power  of  the  sun.  If  powerful  on  the  hill-tops  it  must 
be  of  baking  heat  in  these  bowl-like  hollows.  It  is  shot 
forth  relentlessly  through  the  thickest  cork-helmet.  If 
an  umbrella  is  used,  while  increasing  the  safety  from 
danger  above,  it  only  causes  a  more  profuse  perspira- 
tion by  the  confinement  to  the  body  of  the  ascend- 
ing cloud  of  warm  vapour  which  surges  upward  from 
the  damp  earth,  and  encompasses  the  person  at  every 
step.  According  to  the  nature  and  quality  of  the 
inorganic  bodies  in  the  neighbourhood,  it  either  rises  in 
denser  or  in  a  more  heated  volume.  If  the  neighbour- 
hood is  rocky  the  heat  blazes  in  the  face  almost 
insufferably  and  bakes  the  clothing ;  if  of  wet  grass  or 
damp  earth,  there  is  an  excess  of  moist,  penetrating- 
warmth,  which  soon  deluges  one  with  perspiration. 
The  top  of  that  swathe  of  dead  grass  is  nearly  dry, 
but  put  forth  your  hand  and  place  it  underneath, 
and  the  astonishing  warmth  of  the  moisture,  whose  tem- 
perature is  like  that  of  an  oven,  will  illustrate  the  means 
by  which  rapid  decay  is  caused  in  these  lands.  Have 
you  never  tested  the  heat  to  be  found  in  your  own 
dung-heap  at  home,  even  in  mid-winter  ?  If  you  inhaled 
the  stifling  atmosphere  long  you  suffered  what  no  con- 
stitution could  endure  with  impunity.  Well,  then,  at 
Banza  Manteka  station,  the  hot,  muggy,  steamy  atmo- 
sphere rising  up  with  the  clouds  of  moisture,  and  bear- 
ing the  deleterious  influences  upward  in  a  continued, 
undrifted  volume  from  old  decaying  grass  at  the  base 


A  FATAL  "  PARC: 


301 


of  the  green  shoots,  or  from  decaying  leaves  gathered  Climate — 
at  the  base  of  the  beautiful  bananas,  is  more  pernicious 
to  health  than  life  on  a  dunghill  in  an  unfloored  house 
in  Europe  would  be,  unless  you  put  a  great  hot  stove 
inside  to  equalise  the  quantity  of  malaria — bad  air — 
that  is  inhaled  in  the  sickly  hollow  cf  Banza  Man- 
teka,  It  is  reported  that  such  and  such  a  missionary^ 
was  obliged  to  go  home  after  suffering  from  a  "  per- 
nicious" fever,  that  is,  a  bilious  fever  of  unusual 
severity.  A  young  military  officer  built  a  native  cabin 
in  the  Nkusu  ravine,  near  Yivi,  in  the  middle  of  what 
he  romantically  called  a  "  pare."  He  had  caused 
avenues — "  Avenue  de  Valcke,"  "  Avenue  Stanley," 
"  Avenue  de  Bruxelles  " — to  be  formed  in  this  "  pare," 
and,  to  enjoy  the  romance  thoroughly,  he  dwelt  in  his 
native  chalet  to  luxuriate  in  his  beautiful  romance. 
Poor  fellow,  he  was  soon  taken  ill  of  a  bilious  fever, 
and  he  died  about  sixty  hours  later.  This  trough  of 
the  Nkusu  was  still  more  confined  than  the  bowl  of 
Banza  Manteka. 

On  open  ground,  during  the  rainy  season,  the  air  dif- 
fuses this  pestilential  vapour,  heavy  with  putrefaction 
and  decay.  Movement  over  it  is  not  only  a  relief  from 
the  dangerous  heat  from  above,  but  from  that  which, 
when  a  person  stands  still,  rises  up  in  a  thin,  invisible 
column  to  the  face  behind  the  bulwark  of  the  person. 

But  some  one,  hard  to  satisfy  and  prone  to  doubt, 
remarks  that  on  open  high  land  there  is  sickness  also. 
You  cannot  call  "open  high  land,"  a  plateau,  or  plain, 
where  the  face  of  it  is  uncleared  of  its  forests  of  tall 
grass  and  obstructing  scrub.    The  grass  of  the  tropics 


302 


THE  CONGO. 


^Suti~~  *s  severa^  ^ee^  higlier  than  the  height  of  a  man's  person  ; 
the  more  confined  the  cleared  area  in  which  you  stand 
is,  the  more  unhealthy  is  your  position.  Begin  at  the 
narrow  foot- wide  path,  with  the  grass  from  two  to  five 
feet  above  your  head,  with  a  hot  sun  glowing  burn- 
ingly  on  the  earth,  and  your  position  will  be  unendur- 
able if  you  stand  still  long.  Advance  into  a  small 
open  market-place  in  its  midst,  relief  is  instantly  felt. 
But  could  you  suppose  that  you  Lad  an  area  of  a  few 
square  miles  of  plain,  or  gently-rolling  land,  without 
swamp,  lagoon,  or  stagnant  body  of  water,  that  the 
dead  grass  was  clean  cleared  off,  and  only  vegetables 
and  grain  growing,  that  your  two-storied  house  was 
prepared  with  windows  to  admit  light,  and  could  like- 
wise admit  the  cool  air  without  admitting  draught,  and 
that  the  roof  projected  broad  and  ample  from  its  walls, 
your  consequent  good  health  would  then  teach  you, 
and  teach  the  coming  generations,  that  a  tropic  home 
can  be  made  as  healthy  and  as  comfortable  as  any  home 
in  your  own  dear  native  land. 

Observe  the  native  custom,  and  let  the  dark  abori- 
gine teach  you  by  his  example.  Do  you,  therefore,  as 
one  should  expect  from  your  education,  improve  your 
surroundings  after  the  elementary  lesson  derived  from 
his  example  has  been  well  acquired. 

In  what  part  of  the  Congo  canon  do  we  find  a 
native  village  after  passing  Mussuko  ?.  Let  us  cast  our 
eyes  on  the  chart.  All  the  way  from  Mussuko  both 
banks  are  abandoned.  On  the  shores  of  that  expansion 
of  the  Congo  called  Stanley  Pool,  we  find  Kintamo, 
Kinshassa,  Kimbangu,  Kimpoko,  Mfwa,  and  Malima, 


SITES  OF  NATIVE  VILLAGES. 


303 


but  these  are  peopled  by  ivory  traders  who  have  climate— 
business  with  the  Wy-yanzi  River  men.  Near  Mswata 
are  the  first  evidences  of  population  ;  but  as  far  up  as 
the  boundaries  of  Bolobo  district  the  people  are  but 
scanty  in  number  along  the  river.  The  highland 
levels  are  more  or  less  inhabited  according  to  the 
advantages  offered  by  the  neighbourhood,  such  as 
accessibility  to  water,  fertility  of  soil,  presence  of  shade, 
and  security  from  violence.  Their  weak  numbers,  and 
their  dread  of  stronger  neighbours,  have  left  many 
things  undone  that  a  sanitary  inspector  would  condemn 
as  a  neglect  cruel  to  themselves  and  their  families.  So 
long,  however,  as  choice  was  permitted  to  them,  we 
observe  that  they  have  elected  to  leave  the  river  and 
its  banks,  and  build  on  the  high,  comparatively  open 
plateau  and  plain. 

At  Banza  Manteka,  for  instance,  we  have  an  illus- 
tration of  the  manner  in  which  the  natives  have  rejected 
the  unhealthy  hollow,  and  the  curious  contrast  of  the 
white  man's  choice.  All  around,  and  within  view  from 
the  white  man's  mission-house,  are  the  groves  under 
which  nestle  the  native  villages.  There  is  only  one 
native  village  within  the  hollow ;  but  the  white  man's 
house  is  almost  at  the  bottom,  as  though  he  might  be  in 
possession  of  a  charm  to  drive  away  the  foul  air  and 
gases  exhaling  from  that  close  inland  basin.  Experience 
has  proved  that  his  charms,  his  potion  and  his  drugs 
will  not  avail  the  white  man  to  contend  against  such 
deadly  influences,  any  more  than  the  fetish  absurdities 
availed  the  black  man  in  his  efforts  to  live  there. 


304 


THE  CONGO. 


climate—     Lono-  after  I  had  constructed  Le'opoldville's  block 

Parti  °  ,  .  f 

house,  the  natives  of  Kintambu  district  informed  me 
that  a  village  once  stood  on  the  same  spot.  A  few  oil 
palms  and  pieces  of  crockery  had  caused  me  to  suspect 
this.  Since  I  have  been  enlightened  by  my  sick  lists, 
and  followed  up  this  interesting  research  into  the 
causes  of  the  disastrous  sickness  experienced  there,  I 
have  often  condemned  myself  for  my  remarkable 
blindness.  As  an  excuse  I  could  only  plead  that  I  was 
searching  after  a  totally  different  cause  in  a  diametri- 
cally opposite  direction.  I  was  searching  for  things  and 
places  that  bred  miasma,  such  as  decaying  vegetable 
bodies,  deposits  of  ooze,  stagnant  creeks,  flat-bottomed 
gullies,  fat  with  damp  alluvium,  quick  breeding  hollows, 
rank  masses  of  vegetation,  that  I  might  avoid  tliem,  if 
possible  ;  for  doctors,  by  their  many  books,  of  which  I 
had  a  store,  gave  me  the  benefit  of  their  collective 
wisdom — and  what  is  wisdom  but  aggregate  expe- 
rience ? — and  pointed  out  to  me  that  such  places  were 
productive  of  malaria.  I  wished  to  avoid  the  sources 
of  malaria,  and  at  Yivi  I  built,  340  feet  above  the 
river,  on  a  solid  concrete  platform  of  rock,  and  dared 
to  defy  the  tropic  heat.  I  constructed  Manyanga  on 
the  crown  of  a  hill,  and  nothing  stagnant  or  malarious 
could  possibly  exist  within  several  days'  journey  of  the 
station.  But  when  my  white  comrades  began  to  droop 
and  fade  away,  when  their  strength,  their  youth,  their 
morality,  and  their  unimpeachable  virtue  seemed  of  no 
avail,  and  death  claimed  its  victims  one  after  another, 
I  must  admit  that  utter  bewilderment  took  possession 


COLD  DRAUGHTS. 


305 


of  me.  At  length  the  upper  station's  extraordinary  Climate— 
good  sanitary  condition  awoke  my  interest,  while  the 
station  of  Kinshassa,  only  five  miles  from  Le'opoldville, 
seemed  also  to  afford  me  a  clue ;  and  passing  rapidly 
througli  the  entire  lines  of  the  stations,  obtaining  from 
each  officer  in  charge  his  reports,  and  noting  clearly  as 
I  went  the  position  of  each,  I  saw  that  our  stations 
were  in  a  strange  comminglement  of  the  healthy  and 
unhealthy.  By  arranging  these  in  tabular  order,  a 
clearer  idea  of  the  truth  flashed  upon  me.  This  I 
have  endeavoured  in  plain  simple  language  to  convey 
to  the  general  understanding  of  such  men  as  may  now 
reside  on  the  Congo,  or  may  choose  in  future  time  to 
emigrate  there,  whether  as  agents  of  the  new  State, 
missionaries,  traders,  tourists,  explorers,  agriculturists, 
or  miners. 

.  Added  to  the  victims  of  these  cold  draughts,  which 
greatly  outnumber  all  others,  were  those  whose  con- 
stitutions failed  by  living  in  malarious  hollows,  followed 
by  those  who  led  impure  and  intemperate  lives,  next 
by  those  who  required  more  nourishing  pabula  than 
our  present  circumstances  would  enable  us  to  supply 
them  with,  and  lastly,  those  who  fell  through  accidents, 
caused  by  carelessness,  indolence  of  mind,  unreasoning 
rashness,  natural  helplessness,  and  constitutional  physi- 
cal weakness. 

It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  there  has  been  a  re- 
markable improvement  in  the  health  of  the  Europeans 
who  have  during  the  last  six  years  resided  on  the 
Congo.    In  glancing  over  the  lists  of  names  on  the 
Vol.  II.— 20 


30G 


THE  CONGO. 


climate—  muster-roll  of  those  whites  who  left  Europe  breathing 
undying  valour,  and  high  courage,  I  find  that  up  to  the 
present  date  no  less  than  263  have  arrived  on  the  banks 
of  the  great  African  river  as  follows  : — 


Nationalities  of  the 
Agents  engaged. 

Number. 

Nationalities  of  the 
Agents  engaged. 

Number. 

Americans 

6 

French 

6 

Arab 

1 

German 

32 

Austrians 

5 

Italian 

3 

Belgians 

81 

Portuguese 

2 

Danish 

6 

Swedish 

37 

Dutch 

3 

Swiss 

1 

English 

80 

263 

Year. 

No.  of  Whites 
engaged. 

No.  of 
Deaths 
from 
Sickness. 

No.  of 
Deaths 
from 
Accidents. 

Returned 
from 
various 
causes. 

Remaining  in  the 
Service  at  the  end 
of  the  Year. 

1879 

18 

2 

4 

13 

1880 

13 

2 

7 

28 

1881 

13 

1 

7 

32 

1882 

33 

3 

2 

12 

69 

1883 

93 

8 

2 

25 

151 

1884 

83 

7 

37 

142 

1885 

10 

1 

1 

Total. 

263 

24 

5 

92 

The  deaths  were  in  many  cases  avoidable.  Some 
have  been  the  result  of  downright  madness.  There 
are  few  that  I  know  of  which  might  not  serve  to 
point  a  moral  and  a  lesson.  Not  many  of  these 
deaths  can  be  excused  on  the  ground  of  old  age,  or 


CAUSES  OF  SICKNESS. 


307 


original  physical  weakness.  They  were  all  men  in  the  climate— 
prime  of  life.  Fatigue,  want  of  proper  nourishment, 
exposure  to  the  sun,  inveterate  intemperance  in  a  few 
cases,  in  conduction  with  the  ignorance  of  conduct  of 
life  in  the  tropics,  which  I  strive  to  combat  in  this 
chapter,  and  which  is  pardonable,  since  we  have  all 
been  guilty,  were  the  causes  which  led  to  this  mortality. 
I  do  not  wish  to  offend  the  susceptibilities  of  sorrowing 
relatives,  therefore  I  will  not  name  the  rash  unfor- 
tunates, but  my  first  duty  is  to  the  living,  whom  I 
must  warn  against  committing  follies  leading  to  self- 
destruction. 

A  European,  proficient  in  his  duties,  willing  and 
devoted  after  nearly  two  years'  successful  work  with  the 
expedition,  during  which  he  enjoys  unusually  good 
health,  returns  from  a  voyage  up  river,  and  suddenly 
falls  sick  of  a  mild  form  of  dysentery.  In  a  few  days  it 
is  cured,  when  through  some  strange  cause  he  has  a 
relapse.  Two  medical  men  use  their  utmost  endeavours 
to  cure  him ;  the  best  attention  during  many  weeks  is 
given  to  him,  and  he  recovers  strength  enough  to  be 
able  to  be  conveyed  to  the  coast.  He  arrives  in  a 
more  hopeful  condition,  and  after  a  few  days'  stay  at 
the  hospital,  is  declared  fit  to  proceed  to  Europe.  That 
same  evening,  in  the  absence  of  the  nurse,  he  barters  a 
coat  for  a  bottle  of  gin,  drinks  it,  and  twelve  hours 
afterwards  he  is  buried  at  Boma. 

Another,  by  being  kept  up  river,  serves  three  years 
admirably,  is  sent  home  with  honours,  returns  after  a 
while  for  another  period  of  service  at  higher  pay. 


308 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate —  But  meantime  some  unaccountable  thirst  for  ardent 

Part  I.. 

spirits  Las  possessed  him,  and  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival  he  falls  overboard  into  the  river  while  intoxi- 
cated, and  is  drowned. 

Another  appears  on  the  Congo  with  a  character  for 
proficiency  and  steadiness,  but  within  two  months  after 
commencing  work,  he  is  discovered  dead,  sitting  behind 
a  shed  with  an  empty  liquor  bottle  at  his  feet. 

Two  friends  visit  the  coast,  go  on  board  the  mail 
steamer,  hob-nob  socially,  and  depart  for  the  shore. 
Both  are  taken  seriously  ill,  but  fortunately  recover, 
remaining,  however,  very  emaciated  and  weak.  One 
departs  for  Madeira  and  lives  to  tell  the  tale ;  the 
other,  on  the  first  evening  of  his  convalescence,  indulges 
too  much  in  the  potent  wine,  sits  out  too  late  in  the 
night-air,  becomes  a  victim  to  tetanus,  and  dies  in 
excruciating  agony. 

Two  friends  meet  in  the  interior.  One  has  a  bottle 
of  Burgundy,  another  a  bottle  of  Cognac.  They  agree 
to  dine  together  to  celebrate  the  event.  Until  a  late 
hour  they  sit  and  talk,  and,  I  suppose,  drink.  The 
coast-bound  friend  departs,  the  other  resumes  work 
and  duty.  By-and-by  the  sun  appears  powerful,  with 
a  merciless  burning  strength — the  young  man  is  sud- 
denly stricken  down,  conveyed  to  the  nearest  station, 
and  twelve  hours  afterwards  is  buried. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  recite  other  illustrations  of  the 
incidents  which  show  how  men  become  their  own  worst 
enemies.  In  all  lands  there  are  instances  of  suicidal 
indifference,  and  gross  recklessness  of  the  consequences 


VIOLENT  TRANSITIONS. 


309 


resulting  from  misconduct.    To  many  preaching  avails  Climate — 

Part  I. 

but  little ;  therefore  for  ages  yet  to  come  people  may 
expect  to  hear  of  such  lamentable  and  premature  deaths. 
Were  there  a  moral  society  formed  to  critically  inquire 
into  the  fatal  cases  along  the  African  coast,  a  fearful 
catalogue  of  human  frailties  might  be  published,  and  it 
would  then  be  discovered  that  much  that  is  attributed 
to  the  climate  ought  justly  to  be  ascribed  to  far  different 
causes. 

But  if  there  are  any  young  men  now  in  Europe 
destined  to  spend  a  portion  of  their  lives  on  the  Congo, 
let  them  remember — in  addition  to  what  is  already 
written  about  the  inconveniences  arising  from  circum- 
stances beyond  their  control,  such  as  from  unhealthy 
sites  which,  as  in  the  case  of  Vivi,  were  compulsory — 
that  by  exposure  to  any  cool  temperature  after  violent 
exercise  and  copious  perspiration,  or  by  getting  chilled 
by  a  draught  after  leaving  a  warm  room — all  rooms 
are  comparatively  warm  in  the  tropics,  however  agree- 
able they  may  be, — they  unnecessarily  increase  these 
inconveniences.  Few  constitutions  are  able  to  with- 
stand these  violent  transitions  from  open  pores  to 
closed  pores,  or  from  equable  warm  temperature  to 
sudden  chill. 

The  philosophy  of  this  is,  that  the  high  temperature 
induced  by  exercise  under  a  hot  sun  is  soon  cooled  on 
resting,  and  the  excessive  perspiration  has  reduced  the 
normal  temperature  of  the  body  in  the  same  manner  as 
water  in  a  porous  vessel  is  sooner  cooled  when  exposed 
to  the  sun's  rays  by  the  evaporation  which  is  at  once 


310 


THE  CONGO. 


started  when  the  humid  surface  of  the  cooler  feels 
the  effect  of  the  heat.  Water  thus  exposed  becomes 
agreeably  cool,  but  the  physical  system  of  a  man  by 
the  same  process  becomes  deranged ;  the  perspiration 
is  stopped,  the  pores  are  closed,  and  the  body  feels 
disagreeably  chilly.  If  the  woollen  garments  have 
become  wetted  by  perspiration,  rain,  dew,  or  some 
accident  in  the  water,  the  process  of  deranging  the 
system  is  much  more  rapid.  Exposure  to  the  sun 
causes  the  moisture  on  the  garments  to  evaporate,  and 
at  the  same  time  conducts  the  normal  heat  from  the 
body,  leaving  it  a  prey  to  disease.  You  may  now  see 
the  reason  why  clerks,  factory-men,  and  traders,  who 
rarely  take  exercise  in  the  hot  sunshine,  can  show  a 
better  health  list  than  Vivi  officers,  who  have  been 
exposed  during  all  hours  to  the  sun  in  a  hilly  position, 
the  descent  and  ascent  of  which  provoked  unusual 
perspiration,  and  subjected  them  to  continual  and  ex- 
traordinary effects  of  the  organic  functions. 

Now  another  prime  cause,  which  is  also  remediable, 
of  fevers  all  along  the  Congo  canon,  is  that  90  per 
cent,  of  the  winds,  as  has  been  discovered  by  Dr. 
Danckelman,  blow  from  seaward  up  river,  passing  over 
the  miasmatic  isles,  swamps,  and  black  mud  deposits 
between  Boma  and  Banana,  and  tainting  the  air  of  all 
the  more  healthy  uplands  that  lie  directly  in  the  track 
of  the  pest.  Residences  placed  to  leeward  of  this 
draught,  and  openly  exposed  to  it  without  some  bar- 
rier or  shelter,  are  liable  to  be  visited  by  the  disease 
which  it  engenders.     The  best  protection  against  it 


ADVANTAGE  OF  TREE  PLANTING. 


311 


is  the  planting  of  trees  a  little  distance  in  front  to  Climate — 

i  i  ii  PartL 

serve  as  a  screen,  and  to  attract  the  miasma  to  them  by 
the  foliage  ;  even  a  hedge  is  supposed  by  Sir  Thomas 
Watson  to  be  better  than  nothing.  Sir  Thomas  also 
advises  cultivation  of  the  soil  in  front,  and  if  possible 
around,  the  residence. 

Prevention,  it  is  said,  is  better  than  cure  ;  and  I 
profess  to  be  able,  not  perhaps  to  teach  you  how  to 
prevent  all,  but  at  least  to  reduce  many,  of  these 
tedious  illnesses  to  which  the  carelessness  and  ignor- 
ance of  the  white  man  in  Africa  makes  him  so  liable. 
The  climate  being  so  new  and  novel  to  you,  as  yours 
is  to  the  pure  African,  this  ignorance  is  pardonable ; 
but  now  that  your  reasoning  powers  are  properly 
directed,  the  longer  you  live  in  the  tropics  the  better 
you  will  be  able  to  appreciate  the  grand  maxim  of 
Shakespeare,  "  To  a  wise  man  all  places  on  this  earth 
are  ports  and  happy  havens." 

But  those  who  seek  to  commit  deliberate  suicide  and 
wanton  self-destruction  through  the  insane  practice 
of  hob-nobbing  with  every  vinous  friend  they  meet,  I 
cannot  pity.  Nay,  I  solemnly  warn  them  that  to  drink 
any  wine,  liquor,  or  other  intoxicating  beverage,  in 
a  tropical  country  during  the  day,  except  when  ad- 
ministered under  the  direction  of  medical  authority, 
is  the  height  of  a  folly  that  is  dangerous  to  sound 
health,  and  consequently  to  all  bodily  enjoyment. 


312 


TEE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

CLIMATE. — PART  II. 

Dr.  von.  Danekelman's  observations — Definition  of  heat— Cold— Exposure 
— Advantage  of  awnings — Equable  temperature  of  the  body — Tem- 
perature in  South  America— Inequality  of  the  Congo  climate — Long 
marches  and  gulps  of  cold  water — A  cool  place — "  He  is  only  joking  " 
— "  The  White  Man's  Grave  " — Advice  to  doctors — Food  and  drink — 
Daily  life — Medicine — Diseases — Meteorological  Tables. 

p  An  intending  emigrant  from  Wasco  County,  in  far 
Oregon,  has  sent  me  the  following  questions,  and  I  am 
glad  to  receive  them,  since  they  afford  me  a  reason  for 
popularising  the  information  collated  with  vast  in- 
dustry by  Dr.  von  Danckelman  during  his  stay  at  one 
of  the  stations  on  the  Lower  Congo.  Those  who 
prefer  to  study  the  scientific  brochure  in  the  original 
must  be  referred  to  the  "  Me'moire  sur  les  Observa- 
tions Meteorologiques,  sur  la  Climatologie  de  la  Cote 
sud-ouest  d'Afrique  en  general,  par  A.  von  Danckelman, 
Di\  Phil.  Berlin  :  A.  Asher  et  Cie.  1884."  * 
The  emigrant  says  :— 

"  Will  you  please  give  information  as  to  soil,  climate,  natural  produc- 
tions, general  health,  and  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  the  civilised  white 
people?  

*  The  full  and  copious  index  attached  to  these  volumes  will  enable 
any  one  to  discover  the  amount  and  variety  of  information  contained 
within  the  text. 


DR.   VON  DANCKELMAN'S  OPINIONS.  313 


"Please  give  us  the  average  rainfall,  how  many  inches,  and  how  climate- 
distributed  ;  how  many  months  wet,  and  how  many  dry ;  how  many  Part  II. 
inches  of  rain  falls  each  month,  and  docs  rain  fall  gently  or  in  torrents? 
Is  the  country  good  for  stock-raising  and  farming  ?  Is  that  African  pest 
the  Tsetse  fly,  that  kills  stock,  found  in  the  Great  Interior  Basin  ?  What 
kinds  of  stock  have  you?  How  is  agriculture  carried  on,  and  what 
varieties  of  grain  and  vegetables  are  grown  ?  Have  you  plenty  of  timber, 
and  what  varieties  that  is  and  will  be  valuable  ?  Do  you  have  severe 
winds  and  thunderstorms  ?  Is  Africa  very  hot  ?  Please  state  the  greatest 
heat,  and  whether  great  heat  continues  long,  and  please  give  the  tem- 
perature throughout  the  year.  Are  the  natives  favourable  to  the  whites 
settling  in  their  country  ?  How  can  one  procure  land  from  them  or  the 
International  Association  to  get  genuine  title,  and  at  what  cost  per  acre, 
section,  or  league  ?  What  tax  is  there  on  the  citizen  or  the  settler  ?  Are 
there  many  poisonous  reptiles  or  very  dangerous  wild  beasts  ?  Is  game, 
fishes,  and  wild  fowls  plenty,  and  of  what  kinds  ?  Does  the  Association 
wish  to  encourage  immigration  ? 

"  Please  give  names  of  stations  of  the  International  Association,  and 
state  whether  on  a  river  or  lake,  in  the  valley  or  plains,  or  in  the 
mountains." 

Another  inquisitive  person,  who  probably  has  an  idea 
that  his  constitution  could  stand  the  Congo  climate 
asks  me  "  What  kind  of  a  heat  is  that  of  the  Congo  ?  " 
As  perhaps  the  observations  of  Dr.  Danckelman  may 
convey  to  such  an  inquirer  but  an  imperfect  idea  of 
the  subject,  I  cannot  do  better  than  reprint  the  very 
popular  definitions  of  heat  given  by  James  Bruce,  the 
traveller.    He  writes : — 

"  No.  1.  It  is  warm  when  a  man,  so  clothed,  does  not  sweat  when  at 
rest,  but,  upon  moderate  motion,  perspires  and  cools  again. 

"No.  2.  It  is  hot  when  a  man  perspires  while  at  rest,  and  excessively 
on  moderate  motion. 

"  No.  3.  It  is  very  hot  when  a  man  with  thin  or  little  clothing  perspires 
much  though  at  rest. 

"  No.  4.  It  is  excessively  hot  when  a  man  in  his  shirt  perspires  exces- 
sively, when  all  motion  is  painful,  and  the  knees  feel  feeble,  as  if  after 
a  f  ver. 

"No.  5.  It  is  extremely  hot,  when  the  strength  fails,  a  disposition  to 
faint  comes  on,  a  straitness  is  found  in  the  temples,  as  if  a  small  cord  was 


314 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  drawn  tiglit  aronnd  the  head,  the  voice  impaired,  the  skin  dry,  and  the 
Part  II.    head  seems  more  than  ordinarily  large  and  light.    From  70°  to  78c 
Fahrenheit  is  cool,  from  79°  to  92°  temperate ;  at  92°  begins  warm.  The 
degree  of  the  thermometer  conveys  this  very  inadequately." 

With  such  very  clear  definitions  it  will  not  be  diffi- 
cult for  the  rustic  reader  to  understand  the  quality  of 
the  heat  of  the  Congo.  The  mean  of  the  highest 
observations  of  temperature  is  only  90°  Fahrenheit, 
while  the  mean  of  the  lowest  is  only  67°.  Clad  in 
clothes  suitable  for  work,  an  European  could  perform 
as  much  work  on  the  Congo  as  he  could  in  England, 
provided  a  roof  or  awning  was  above  his  head.  The 
heat  of  the  sun  on  a  clear  day  rises  from  100°  to  115°, 
which  is  naturally  dangerous  if  a  person  stands  still 
and  exposes  himself  to  its  influence.  On  the  march  it 
is  not  to  be  feared  for  immediate  fatal  results.  But 
though  not  immediate,  it  excites  violent  perspiration, 
consequent  prostration  and  loss  of  energy  little  likely 
to  be  recuperated  rapidly  in  a  new  country  like  the 
Congo.  Hence  in  all  my  African  records  it  will  be 
observed  that  I  have  confined  my  marches  to  the  early 
morning  between  6  a.m.  and  11  a.m. 

For  three  months  of  the  year  it  is  positively  cold, 
and  during  the  rest  of  the  year  there  is  so  much  cloud, 
and  the  heat  is  so  tempered  by  the  South  Atlantic 
breezes,  that  we  seldom  suffer  from  its  intensity. 
After  a  rainstorm  which  has  cleared  the  atmosphere, 
exposure  to  the  direct  force  of  the  sun-heat  would  soon 
prove  the  power  of  the  equatorial  sun.  The  nights 
are  cool,  sometimes  even  cold,  and  a  blanket  is,  after  a 
short  time,  felt  to  be  indispensable  for  comfort. 


DANGERS  OF  EXPOSURE. 


315 


At  the  stations,  missions,  or  factories,  there  is  no 
necessity  for  exposure ;   a  double  thickness   to  the 
umbrella  affords  ample  covering,  and  there  are  few 
localities  where  the  shade  of  a  tree  is  not  conveniently 
near  while  superintending  the  out-door  work.  Euro- 
pean artisans  would  not  be  compelled  to  expose  them- 
selves except  on  rare   occasions  ;  but  no  precautions 
can  be  too  great  if  they  prevent  sunstrokes.    The  car- 
penter, boat-builder,  blacksmith,  engineer,  stone-mason, 
bricklayer,  and  all  such  craftsmen,  would  be  working 
under  sheds,  where  there  is  absolute  safety.  European 
labourers  or  navvies  are  not  and  will  not  be  needed. 
If  any  skilled  workman  for  road-making,  in  such 
labour  as  blasting,  may  ever  be  required,  the  first  duty 
will  be  the  corstruction  of  movable  sheds.    The  sun  is 
the  only  real  enemy  to  the  European.    To  raise  a  safe 
protection  against  its  malign  influences  is  always  pos- 
sible, though  seldom  practised     The  factory  clerks 
position  is  the  safest,  but  it  is  not  infrequently  dan- 
gerous from  other  than  climatic  causes.     The  mis- 
sionary also  ought  to  be  safe  ;  but  before  he  arrives  at 
his  destination  he  has  generally  strained  his  strength 
by  insane  pedestrian  exercise  and  exploration  of  the 
depths  of  grassy  tunnels,  to  which  the  heat  of  a 
Turkish  bath  bears  no   comparison.     In  one  day's 
march,  too,  he  has  several  times  filled  his  stomach  with 
cold  water,  and  has  undergone  numerous  transitions 
and  variations  of  temperature,  the  mean  of  which  may 
amount  to  40°  Fahrenheit. 

Bruce's  No.  1  definition  of  warmth  describes  the 


316 


THE  CONGO. 


Congo  climate.  When  the  body  is  at  rest  the  perspira 
tion  is  imperceptible.  But  violent  exercise,  travelling 
up  and  down  hill,  all  powerful  exertions  under  the 
direct  action  of  the  sun,  soon  force  copious  perspiration. 
In  itself  this  might  not  be  dangerous.  The  danger  is 
incurred  when  hastening  for  relief  and  coolness — the 
shade  of  a  tree  or  a  verandah  is  sought,  and  the  heed- 
less exposure  to  the  cold  winds  chills  the  clothing  and 
the  body  suddenly,  effectually  closing  the  pores  of  the 
skin,  to  the  utter  derangement  of  the  system. 

Immunity  from  these  derangements  can  easily  be  ob- 
tained by  the  resident  of  a  station,  mission,  factory, 
plantation,  or  farm,  by  remembering  to  keep  the  tem- 
perature of  the  body  as  equable  as  possible.  In  hotter 
portions  of  the  globe,  such  as  at  Para,  under  the  South 
American  equator,  where  the  variation  is  only  9°  Fah- 
renheit, the  temperature  renders  the  climate  valuable 
to  invalids  and  conducive  to  old  age. 

Observations  of  the  Para  temperature,  by  a  Mr. 
Norris,  show  during  the  months  of  June,  July,  and 
August,  a  mean  temperature  for  June  80°,  highest,  86°, 
lowest,  77°;  July,  mean,  80°,  highest,  8G°,  lowest,  77°; 
for  August,  81°,  highest,  86,  lowest,  77°.  W.  H. 
Edwards  says,  "  Moreover,  we  were  never  incommoded 
by  heat  at  night,  and  invariably  slept  under  a  blanket. 
This  equality  of  temperature  renders  the  climate  of 
Para  peculiarly  favourable  to  health.  The  average  of 
life  is  as  high  as  in  the  city  of  New  York." 

It  is  the  inequality  of  the  climate  of  the  Congo  that 
must  be  guarded  against.     If  the  resident  pays  less 


TEMPERATURE. 


317 


attention  to  malaria  and  miasma,  and  devotes  himself  Climate — 

•  •  Part  11 

more  to  the  study  or  preserving  his  system  against  the 
pernicious  influences  of  these  excessive  variations  of 
temperature,  he  need  entertain  but  little  fear  of  the 
Congo.  A  book  might  be  written  illustrative  of  this 
one  fact.  Who  that  will  visit  the  scene  of  Tuckey's 
travels  will  wonder  now  at  the  fatal  results  of  his  ex- 
pedition ?  One  of  his  day's  marches  is  over  thirty 
miles  in  length !  He  plunges  into  the  grassy  ravines 
when  the  temperature  is  about  110°.  He  breasts 
the  hill  slope,  and  the  sun's  heat  is  1150.  He  strides 
across  the  scorching  plateaus  into  the  depths  of  grassy 
tunnels  ;  he  descends  to  another  ravine,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  there  is  a  rivulet  of  clear  cold  water  which 
indicates  69°.  With  his  stomach  full  of  this  cold  water 
he  again  climbs  a  steep  slope  at  an  angle  of  45°,  under 
a  sun-heat  approaching  to  115°,  to  arrive  at  the  summit 
of  a  hill  600  feet  higher,  near  which  there  is  a  shady 
tree  where  the  temperature  is  72°.  Here  he  rests 
himself  under  its  grateful  shelter.  The  wind  forces  his 
chilled  flannel  against  his  heated  body ;  but  having 
rested  he  again  starts  on  his  dreadful  journey,  to  expose 
himself  several  times  during  the  day  to  these  incredible 
transitions.  Late  at  night,  9  p.m.,  he  arrives,  worn 
out  with  the  excessive  strains  to  which  his  system  has 
been  subjected,  and  implores  shelter  at  a  native  village. 
Out  of  our  250  people  we  know  several  who  have 
performed  the  same  extraordinary  feats ;  but  they, 
like  Tuckey  and  his  companions,  have  paid  the  last 
of  all  earthly  penalties,  and  it  is  sad  to  think  that 


318 


THE  CONGO. 


chmate—  they  have  given  away  their  lives  through  avoidable 
causes. 

On  some  men  destined  to  perform  great  deeds  in  the 
Congo  State,  these  chapters  on  the  climate  will  create 
a  desire  to  protect  themselves  against  the  effects  of 
these  inequalities,  or  variations  of  temperature ;  on 
others,  destined  to  be  failures,  either  to  return,  and  rail 
ignorantly  against  they  know  not  what,  or  to  enrich 
the  already  fertile  soil  of  Congo-land  with  their  bodies, 
they  will  have  no  effect.  There  are  men  who  can  read, 
but  know  not  how  to  reflect,  who  have  eyes  but  see 
not,  and  who  have  ears  but  hear  not.  As  was  said 
of  old,  it  is  no  less  true  to-day,  that  those  whom  the 
Fates  destine  for  early  death,  they  first  make  mad. 

I  shall  have  to  say  to  some  one  again,  most  probably, 
what  I  said  lately  to  a  colonel  fresh  from  England, 
"  That  exposed  corner  is  not  conducive  to  good  health  ;" 
and  like  the  colonel  he  will  reply,  "  Oh,  nonsense,  you 
are  chaffing  me !  This  deliciously  cool  place  fatal ! 
Doctor,  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

And  the  doctor,  who  was  a  traveller  himself,  a 
wanderer  over  many  lands,  replied,  "  He  is  only  joking." 
Yet  both  colonel  and  doctor  were,  for  a  few  days  after- 
wards, but  little  disposed  to  appreciate  joking,  despite 
copious  doses  of  Hop  Bitters. 

I  shall  have  to  say  again,  as  I  did  to  an  engineer 
fresh  from  England,  "My  friend,  that  little  black 
saucer  cap  of  the  British  mercantile  service,  though  I 
dare  say  very  comfortable  in  a  ship's  engine  room,  is 
but  a  poor  protection  against  an  African  sun."  And 


INATTENTION  TO  PRACTICAL  ADVICE. 


319 


some  engineer  will  answer  as  he  did,  "  I  don't  think  climate— 

°  Part  II. 

so,  sir.  I  feel  very  comfortable.  I  have  been  always 
used  to  it."  But  that  engineer  never  returned  to 
Europe. 

I  shall  have  to  say  again,  I  am  sure,  to  some  English 
sailor,  or  Scotch  engineer,  "  My  friend,  be  warned  by 
me  !  Cease  that  tippling  which  I  hear  you  are  accus- 
tomed to.  Scotch  whisky,  or  Old  Tom,  however  bene- 
ficial in  your  native  land  against  raw  mist  and  icy 
sleet,  do  not  agree  with  an  African  sun ;  "  and  the 
sailor  or  Scotch  engineer  will  reply,  as  before,  "  Oh, 
I  take  very  little,  sir,  it  will  do  me  no  harm."  But 
neither  the  sailor  or  Scotch  engineer  returned  to 
gladden  the  eyas  of  the  anxious  mother  at  home. 

Doctors  who  have  written  books  of  five  and  ten 
pounds  weight,  containing  a  vast  amount  of  learned 
matter  about  the  bacillus  malaria?  and  other  matters, 
will  declare  me  to  be  an  empiric  ;  but  I  will  guarantee 
that  I  can  cure  any  one  of  them  from  that  fanatic 
faith  in  the  prophylaxis  which  they  support.  While  I 
do  not  deny  that  there  is  a  certain  quantity  of  miasm 
in  the  air,  my  belief  is  that  it  was  the  least  of  the  evils 
from  which  the  members  of  our  expedition  suffered. 
At  Banana  and  Boma,  in  the  midst  of  marshy  exhala- 
tions, situate  almost  at  the  water's  edge,  the  Europeans 
have  enjoyed  better  health  than  our  people  at  Yivi,  on 
that  singular  rock  platform  340  feet  above  the  river. 
At  Kinshassa,  just  ten  feet  above  high-water,  better 
health  has  been  enjoyed — indeed,  almost  complete  im- 
munity from  sickness — than  at  Le'opoldville,  five  miles 


320 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  below,  situate  eighty-three  feet  above  the  river.  At 

Partn-  • 

Equator  Station,  with  a  river  only  five  feet  below  its 

foundations,  creeks  sable,  as  ink  surrounding  it,  the 
ground  unctuous  with  black  fat  alluvium,  Europeans 
enjoy  better  health  than  at  Manyanga,  240  feet  above 
river,  and  1100  feet  above  the  sea.  Fourteen  miles 
away  from  Manyanga,  and  eight  miles  removed  from 
the  river,  we  have  a  station  on  the  plain  of  Ngombi, 
1500  feet  above  the  sea,  where  our  people  have  enjoyed 
better  health  than  at  Manyanga  Hill,  150  yards  in 
diameter,  and  ravines  200  feet  deep  are  around  it  on 
all  sides,  except  at  a  narrow  neck  thirty  yards  across. 
Banana  Point  (six  degrees  below  the  Equator)  only 
five  feet  above  the  brackish  water  of  its  creek,  is 
proved  to  be  much  healthier  than  Sierra  Leone,  over 
eight  degrees  north,  which  has  been  called  the  "  white 
man's  grave,"  despite  the  number  of  medical  inspectors 
who  have  employed  their  best  judgment  and  experience 
in  endeavouring  to  modify  the  fatal  influences  that 
seem  to  surround  the  latter  place.  But  the  residents 
of  that  colony  may  now  know  by  studying  the  dia- 
grams of  the  preceding  chapter,  that  the  fearful  sick- 
ness which  has  frequently  decimated  the  European 
inhabitants  has  not  been  due  so  much  to  the  malaria  as 
to  the  fact  that  their  town  is  surrounded  by  the 
Lion  Hill  and  its  hilly  neighbours,  between  the  gaps 
of  which  sweep  the  sea  breezes,  suddenly  chilling  the 
bodies  of  people  who  are  enveloped  by  the  close  heat 
engendered  within  its  bowl-like  position. 

I  have  been  so  frequently  rebuffed  by  the  callous  in- 


INDIFFERENCE  TO  LIFE. 


321 


difference  of  those  I  had  hoped  to  save,  that  my  interest  Climate— 
in  the  preservation  of  life  has  become  briefer,  much  less 
acute,  and  not  so  universal  as  it  was  formerly.  For  I 
may  well  ask,  why  should  I  be  anxious  about  the  health 
of  a  person  who  is  utterly  indifferent  to  it  himself? 
Why  should  I  care  whether  people  prefer  to  lounge  in 
draughty  corners  to  cool  their  heated  bodies,  whether 
they  fire  their  brains  with  alcoholic  liquors,  or  wear 
little  saucer-shaped  caps,  and  invite  the  equatorial  sun 
to  scorch  their  heads  ?  In  Congo-land,  as  elsewhere,  a 
man  may  do  as  he  pleases  with  his  own  person;  and 
if  he  be  disposed  to  blow  his  brains  right  out  of  his 
head,  Heaven  knows  I  should  be  tempted  to  agree  wTith 
him,  that  after  all  it  would  be  the  wisest  plan.  To 
such,  however,  as  love  their  duty  even  better  than 
they  love  their  life,  my  remarks  may  tend  to  pre- 
serve that  life  for  the  performance  of  that  duty,  and 
possibly  may  also  tend  to  stimulate  an  endeavour  to 
discover  other  causes  that  are  deleterious  to  health,  to 
be  followed  by  the  discovery  of  methods  reforming 
the  medical  treatment  now  pursued  with  such  poor 
success. 

Our  doctors  would  also  do  well  to  study  what  are 
the  best  foods  required  by  those  who  live  in  the  tropics, 
A  fertile  physiological  field  for  exploration  and  dis- 
covery lies  in  this  direction.  I  would  gladly  essay  to 
attempt  something  in  this  line  were  I  not  convinced 
that  a  medico,  blessed  with  a  little  common  sense, 
might  write  with  greater  authority.  Personally,  I 
would  wish  to  impress  a  few  things  upon  the  mind 
Yol.  II.— 21 


322 


THE  CONGO. 


riimnte-  of  the  medical  explorer,  as  they  relate  to  those  "  other 
causes  deleterious  to  health. 

We  know  from  bitter  experience  that  alcoholic  liquor 
taken  in  the  daytime  invite  sunstroke  and  sun-fevers. 
To  avoid  these  we  have  to  rely  upon  tea  and  coffee. 
But  tea  is  an  astringent,  and  unless  it  is  pure,  has  a 
depressing  tendency.  Coffee,  commonly  believed  to  be 
stimulating,  is  more  frequently  the  reverse.  The  oily 
skim  on  the  cocoa  again,  apart  from  its  insipidity, 
creates  a  distrust  of  its  bilious  properties.  Milk  as  yet 
is  not  to  be  obtained,  although  perhaps,  in  the  future, 
it  may  be  more  plentiful.  Soup  presupposes  some 
animal  meat  from  which  it  could  be  concocted  ;  and 
ox-beef  or  mutton  are  precisely  what  the  Congo  cannot 
furnish  away  from  the  Lower  River,  while  a  compound 
extracted  from  goat-meat  three  or  four  times  a  day 
cannot  be  very  satisfying,  even  if  varied  with  chicken 
broth.  Besides  this,  their  dietary  education  has  predis- 
posed the  majority  of  temperate  Europeans  to  some- 
thing different,  principally  tea  and  coffee.  The  former, 
however,  as  I  have  said,  if  taken  inordinately,  is  also  a 
source  of  trouble.  Palm  wine  exercises  a  dangerous 
effect  upon  the  kidneys  and  stomach  unless  drunk 
when  perfectly  fresh. 

Not  the  least  among  our  failings  on  the  Congo  is  the 
decided  distaste  we  all  of  us  soon  entertain  for  the 
potted  "  American,  Australian,  and  Xew  Zealand'' 
beef  and  mutton  and  fish,  despite  the  loud  exaggera- 
tive phrases  bestowed  upon  these  delicacies  by  the 
food  preparers.  A  native  goat,  however  tough  and  rank 


TINNED  MEAT. 


323 


its  meat  may  be,  is  invariably  preferred.    The  potted  eH*aat«^ 

•  -iini  Part  If- 

sardines,  swimming  m  sweet-oil,  or  the  yellow  salmon, 

in  its  yellower  unctuous  matter,  do  not  provoke  the 
appetite,  but  suggest  biliousness.  All  that  is  left  which 
may  be  said  to  be  perfectly  safe  is  limited  in  the 
extreme — home-made  bread,  rice,  a  few  vegetables, 
fruits,  and  condensed  milk. 

What  we  need  most  on  the  Congo  is  some  harmless, 
mild  liquid,  which  is  agreeable  and  palatable,  unine- 
briating  as  tea  and  as  inoffensive  to  the  stomach  as 
milk,  which  neither  affects  the  nerves  nor  kidneys,  and 
is  a  portable  food  easily  assimilated  by  the  digestive 
organs.  Until  some  earnest  physiological  student  can 
assist  our  deficiencies,  I  propose  the  following  simple 
rules  to  be  observed  by  those  to  whom  the  preserva- 
tion of  their  lives  has  some  interest. 

1.  In  the  building  of  your  house,  mission,  or  factory, 
observe  well  its  position.  Never  build,  if  you  can  avoid 
it,  in  a  gorge,  valley,  ravine,  or  any  deejo  derjression  of 
land  that  may  serve  as  a  channel  for  collected  wind 
currents.  A  free  diffusion  of  air  is  required  in  your 
surroundings.  The  nearest  points  to  the  sea,  plains, 
extended  plateaus,  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  any 
dominating  superior  heights  that  would  cause  irregular 
air-currents,  are  the  safest  localities.  The  lower  story 
should  be  clear  of  the  ground,  unless  you  have  made 
the  floor  imporous  by  cement  or  asphalte.  In  a  grassy 
plain  the  floor  of  your  living  room  should  be  at  least 
twelve  feet  above  the  ground. 

2.  Avoid  unnecessary  exposure  to  the  sun. 


324 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—     3.  Guard  against  the  fogs,  dews,  and  chills  of  even- 

Part  11. 

ing  and  night. 

4.  Let  your  diet  be  as  good  as  your  circumstances 
will  permit,  but  be  prudent  in  your  choice.  Butter, 
cheese,  and  dishes  swimming  in  oleaginous  matter,  are 
unsuitable  to  the  conditions  of  the  climate.  Eoasted 
ground-nuts  are  a  mistake. 

Always  reject  the  fat  of  meats  on  your  plate.  All 
fats  cause  bile,  rancidity,  and  nausea  in  the  tropics. 

Never  begin  the  day  with  an  early  meal  of  meats. 
Bread  made  at  the  station  is  better  than  biscuits. 

The  continental  cafe  or  the  au  lait,  is  the  wisest  meal 
w^ith  which  to  break  your  fast. 

At  11  a.m.  cease  work,  and  eat  your  wise  dejeuner — 
lean  of  meats,  fish,  vegetables,  dry  bread,  and  weak 
black  tea  with  condensed  milk. 

At  1.30  p.m.  proceed  to  your  work,  and  at  6.30  p.m. 
take  your  prudent  dinner — boiled  fish,  roast  fowl,  roast 
mutton,  vegetables,  dry  bread,  rice,  tapioca,  sago,  and 
macaroni  pudding,  with  weak  claret,  or  two  ounces  of 
Madeira  in  wrater,  or  so  much  champagne  and  water. 
Amuse  yourself  with  social  conversation  or  reading 
until  9  p.m.,  when  you  may  retire  to  your  dreamless 
couch  to  rise  up  next  morning  with  brain  clear  and 
muscle  primed  for  toil,  and  with  a  love  for  all  the  world. 

5.  Sleep  on  blankets,  and  cover  up  to  the  waist  with 
a  blanket  or  woollens. 

6.  If  marching,  rise  up  at  5  a.m.,  take  your  cafe  or  the 
au  lait,  and  be  ready  for  the  road  at  5.30  a.m.  Halt  at 
11  a.m.,  in  mercy  to  yourself,  your  men,  and  your 


ADVICE  ABOUT  DAILY  LIFE. 


325 


animals,  and  do  no  more  for  the  day.  On  halting 
put  on  your  paletot  or  wrapper,  to  allow  you  to  cool 
gradually.  If  your  camp  is  on  an  exposed  situation, 
get  under  shelter  as  quickly  as  though  it  were  raining. 
You  may  perform  4000  miles  per  annum  at  this  rate. 

7.  Observe  the  strictest  temperance.  Drop  all 
thought  of  tonics,  according  to  the  rules  of  "  west 
coasters,''  u  old  traders,"  "  African  travellers,"  or  your 
own  self-deceiving  fancies.  If  you  are  in  absolute  need 
of  a  tonic  apply  to  the  doctor,  or  to  the  simple  rule  of 
never  during  daylight  taking  more  than  one  ounce  of 
any  liquor  or  wine.  Your  best  tonic  would  be  two  grains 
of  quinia,  as  prepared  by  Burroughs  and  Welcome,*  of 
Snow  Hill  Buildings,  London.  If  thirsty  at  a  station  or 
factory,  prepare  a  glass  of  sherbet.  If  marching,  drop 
a  compressed  tablet  of  aciduous  powder,  as  prepared  by 
these  chemists,  in  your  cup  of  water,  or  quench  your 
thirst  from  your  sweetened  and  weak  tea  in  the  bottle. 

8.  If  engaged  in  outdoor  work  superintending 
coloured  labourers,  never  for  an  instant  be  in  the  sun 
without  a  strong  double  umbrella — a  large  one  fastened 
to  your  piked  staff,  like  a  small  tent,  would  be  better 
still.  For  head-dress  you  have  a  choice  of  cork  helmet, 
topee,  or  Congo  cap,f  the  latter  of  which  is  the  best 
of  all. 

*  These  chemists  have  prepared  drugs  which  I  can  conscientiously 
recommend  as  adapted  for  tropical  regions.  They  have  prepared  small 
doses  in  tablets  of  nearly  every  medicine  that  may  be  required,  which 
may  be  taken  without  creating  nausea,  a  valuable  desideratum,  as  all 
will  admit  who  have  suffered  from  the  foul  nauseating  smell  of  medicines 
as  commonly  prepared  by  druggists. 

t  Observe  cap  in  photograph  of  author. 


826 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  9.  If  during  the  march  you  have  been  so  imprudent 
as  to  be  without  an  ample  umbrella,  a  wetting  need  not 
necessarily  be  dangerous  ;  but  it  becomes  positively  so 
if  after  excessive  perspiration,  rain,  or  an  accident  at 
a  river  crossing,  you  remain  any  time  quiescent  with 
out  changing  your  dress. 

10.  When  on  the  march  the  lighter  you  are  clad  the 
better,  because  at  the  halt  you  will  be  reminded  of  the 
necessity  of  your  paletot  or  overcoat.  Very  light 
flannel  will  be  quite  sufficient  for  your  dress,  owing  to 
the  exercise  you  take.  Light  russet  shoes  for  the  feet, 
knickerbockers  of  light  flannel,  a  loose  light  flannel 
shirt,  a  roll  of  flannel  round  the  waist,  and  a  Congo 
cap  for  the  head,  will  enable  you  to  travel  twelve 
miles  per  day  without  distress. 

11.  At  the  station,  factory,  or  mission,  your  clothing 
should  also  be  light,  though  not  in  the  undress  uniform 
of  the  road,  because  you  know  not  what  work  you  may 
take  at  any  moment  causing  profuse  perspiration,  which 
should  be  avoided  when  circumstances  do  not  compel  it. 

12.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  you  will  not  forget  your 
exercise.  Between  6  and  7  a.m.  and  5  and  6  p.m.  are 
safe  hours  if  your  principal  work  is  indoors. 

13.  Do  not  bathe  in  cold  water  unless  you  are  but 
newly  arrived  from  a  temperate  climate.  The  tempera- 
ture of  your  bath  is  not  safe  below  85°.  Let  your 
bath  be  in  the  morning,  or  before  dinner.  The  tepid 
bath  is  the  most  suitable. 

14.  Fruit,  if  taken  at  all,  should  be  eaten  in  the 
morning — before  the  cafe  or   the  au   lait — such  as 


MEDICINE,  ETC. 


327 


oranges,  rxiangoos,  ripe  bananas,  guavas,  and  pa  paws  ; 
only  the  juice  of  the  pine-apple  is  to  be  recommended. 
Never  eat  any  fruit  in  the  tropics  at  dinner. 

Medicine. — Obtain  your  medicine  pure  and  well  pre- 
pared. Messrs.  Burroughs  and  Welcome  will  equip 
you  with  tropic  medicines  in  chests  or  cases,  with  sup- 
plies to  last  you  one  month  or  ten  years.  They  have 
sought  the  best  medical  advice,  and  really  seem  dis- 
posed to  study  the  special  needs  of  the  East,  West, 
Central,  Northern,  or  Southern  African  traveller, 
soldier,  trader,  and  missionary.  I  have  informed  them 
of  the  few  diseases  such  as  have  fallen  under  my  obser- 
vation, and  they  have  prepared  such  medicines  as  have 
been  tried  during  the  last  seventeen  years  of  my 
African  experiences. 

The  same  prudence  that  is  required  for  protection 
against  draughts,  sudden  chills,  catarrhs,  bronchitis, 
and  pulmonary  diseases  in  Europe,  should  be  exercised, 
with  the  only  difference  that  in  the  tropics  the  clothing 
necessary  to  effect  due  care  should  not  be  so  heavy. 

On  proceeding  to  tropical  Africa,  most  inexperienced 
people  arc  victims  to  chaff  from  the  officers  of  the 
steamers  that  leave  Europe.  Such  "  guys  "  in  costume 
and  manner  ask  so  many  silly  questions  that  they  pro- 
voke the  officers  to  take  advantage  of  their  inexperience, 
which  results  in  creating  vague  fears  of  unknown  and 
fatal  diseases,  so  that  by  the  time  they  arrive  on  the 
coast,  their  morale  is  frequently  destroyed,  and  their 
systems  unnerved. 

The  diseases  on  the  Congo  are  very  simple,  consisting 


328 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate-  of  fevers  and  dysentery.  The  fevers  are  of  three 
Part  11.  . 

kinds,  common  ague,  remittent,  and  a  pernicious  bilious 

fever. 

The  common  ague  is  less  to  be  feared  than  an 
English  cold.  I  have  never  known  it  to  end  fatally. 
It  lasts  generally  from  one  to  three  days.  This  may 
result  from  a  small  quantity  of  miasm  in  the  air ;  but 
the  remedies  are  so  very  simple  that  the  initiated  may 
cure  themselves  in  a  short  time.  In  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  the  initiated  may  also  ward  it  off  completely, 
warned  in  time  by  certain  symptoms  which  inform 
them  that  there  is  a  slight  derangement. 

The  remittent  fever  is  simply  an  exaggeration  of 
ague,  brought  on  according  to  the  degree  of  exposure 
to  the  sun,  perspiration,  and  chill.  This  form  may 
last  several  days. 

The  pernicious  bilious  type  is  an  aggravated  remit- 
tent fever.  It  is  more  violent  in  its  symptoms,  is 
attended  with  serious  complications,  and  consequently 
more  dangerous.  Its  severity  depends  upon  the  habits 
of  the  patient,  and  the  amount  of  exposure,  excessive 
fatigue  and  prostration  incurred.  This  form  may  be  al- 
together prevented  by  living  wisely  and  well,  by  bearing 
in  mind  and  implicitly  following  the  above  simple  rules. 
Many  attempt  self-cure  by  drinking  brandy,  whisky,  or 
gin,  and  smoking  tobacco  to  excess.  But  liquor  and 
tobacco  are  not  prophylactics  against  any  disease. 

Some  brief  extracts  from  Dr.  Martin's  book,  4  In- 
fluences of  Tropical  Climates,'  will  corroborate  all  that 
I  have  written  here. 


DR.  MARTIN'S  OBSERVATIONS. 


329 


I.  "Care  in  diet,  clothing,  and  exercise  are  more  essential  for  the  climate- 
preservation  of  health  than  medical  treatment."  Part  II< 

'2.  "  The  real  way  to  escape  disease  is  by  observing  strict  temperance, 
and  to  moderate  the  heat  by  all  possible  means." 

3.  "After  heat  has  morbifically  predisposed  the  body,  the  sudden 
influence  of  cold  has  the  most  baneful  influence  on  the  human  frame." 

4.  "  The  great  physiological  rule  for  preserving  health  in  hot  climates 
is  to  keep  the  body  cool.  Common  sense  points  out  the  propriety  of 
avoiding  heating  drinks." 

5.  "The  cold  bath  is  death  in  the  collapse  which  follows  any  great 
fatigue  of  body  or  mind." 

6.  "  Licentious  indulgence  is  far  more  dangerous  and  destructive  than 
in  Europe." 

7.  "  A  large  amount  of  animal  food,  instead  of  giving  strength,  heats 
the  blood,  renders  the  system  feverish,  and  consequently  weakens  the 
whole  body." 

8.  "  Bread  is  one  of  the  best  articles  of  diet.  Eice,  split  vetches,  are 
wholesome  and  nutritious.  Vegetables  are  essential  to  good  health,  such 
as  carrots,  turnips,  onions,  native  greens,  &c." 

9.  "  Fruit,  when  sound  and  ripe,  is  beneficial  instead  of  hurtful." 

10.  "The  same  amount  of  stimulant  undiluted  is  much  more  in- 
jurious than  when  mixed  with  water." 

II.  "  With  ordinary  precaution  and  attention  to  the  common  laws  of 
hygiene,  Europeans  may  live  as  long  in  the  tropics  as  elsewhere." 

One  more  observation  will  suffice.  However  well 
the  European  may  endure  the  climate  by  wise  self- 
government,  years  of  constant  high  temperature  assisted 
by  the  monotony  and  poverty  of  the  diet,  cannot  be 
otherwise  than  enervating  and  depressing,  although 
life  may  not  be  endangered.  The  physical  force,  vigour, 
or  strength  becomes  debilitated  by  the  heat,  necessi- 
tating after  a  few  years  recuperation  in  a  temperate 
climate.  To  preserve  perfect  health,  I  advise  the 
trader,  missionary,  coffee  planter,  and  agriculturist, 
who  hopes  to  maintain  his  full  vigour  after  eighteen 
months'  residence,  to  seek  three  months'  recreation  in 
Northern  Europe  ;  for  the  same  reason  that  a  man  de- 
voted to  absorbing  business  in  a  European  city  for 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  eighteen  months  would  do  wisely  to  take  a  few  months' 
holiday.  Beyond  what  has  been  told  above,  there  is 
nothing  in  Congo-land  to  daunt  a  man ;  indeed,  far 
less  than  in  many  parts  of  India,  South  America,  or 
the  West  Indies. 

My  object,  as  will  have  been  seen,  is  to  eradicate 
this  silly  fear  of  the  climate.  The  above  rules,  if 
observed,  will  prevent  at  least  three-fourths  of  the 
maladies  that  have  punished  our  imprudent  youths. 
Possibly  the  judicious  will  find  reward  in  following 
their  guidance  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  injudicious 
and  unreflecting  will  also  have  their  reward. 

The  following  tables  contain  portions  of  the  valuable 
meteorological  observations  of  Dr.  Danckelman  relating 
to  the  climatology  of  the  Congo  region  : — 
Temperature  observed  at  Yiyi.* 


1882. 

Fahrenheit. 
Maximum. 

Fahrenheit. 
Minimum. 

Variation. 

o 

90 

° 

70 

o 

20 

February   

94 

68 

26 

March  

92 

69 

23 

93 

68 

25 

94 

67 

27 

86 

60 

26 

July  

84 

56 

28 

85 

56 

29 

89 

67 

22 

93 

68 

25 

97 

69 

26 

91 

70 

21 

Mean  highest. 

90-7 

67-3 

Mean  variation — 

25 

Highest    temperature  in) 

97 

1882,  on  5th  Nov.  1882  .  f 

Lowest  29th  Julv,  1882  . 

54 

„      19th  July,  1883  . 

57 

*  By  Dr.  Danckelman. 


OBSERVATIONS  OF  TEMPERATURE. 


331 


Annual  Variation  of  Barometer  in  Millimetres. 


1882.  May 
June 


July  .  . 
August  . 
September 
October  . 


1882.  November 
December 

1883.  January  . 
February . 
March 
April  . 


Climate- 
Part  II. 


Yivi  Station,  by  boiling  point,  is   .    .  427  feet  above  sea  level. 

„         by  Fortin's  barometer  .  430  „ 

„         by  three  large  aneroids  .  428  „ 

Height  of  river  level  at  Yivi    ...  84  „ 

„       station  above  river  by  tri-i  0751 

gonometry      .    .    .    .  f       2  " 

„      station  above  river  by  aneroid  343  „ 

Influence  of  the  State  of  the  Sky  on  Temperature.* 


Yivi,  1882-1883. 

Number  of 
Clear  Days. 

Temperature. 

Clouded 
Days. 

Temperature. 
Fahrenheit. 

January  .... 

0 

0 

4 

c 

76 

February 

8 

80 

3 

77 

March  .... 

0 

79 

1 

74 

0 

78 

0 

0 

May  

8 

77 

3 

76 

June  

5 

73 

8 

71 

Julv  

12 

71 

7 

70 

August  .... 

7 

71 

8 

70 

September  . 

2 

76 

9 

74 

October  .... 

2 

77 

4 

75 

November  . 

1 

83 

2 

75 

December    .  . 

1 

81 

4 

77 

1882-1883.  Number  of  Days. 

Sky  entirely  overcast  44 

„  nearly        „   115 

„  gloomy  135 

„  nearly  serene  58 

„  quite      „  10 

Of  109S  observations  of  direction  of  wind  at  Yivi,  by 
Dr.  Danckelman,  he  records  the  following  : — 

Calm.      N.  NN.E.   N.E.    E.N.E.    E.    E.S.E.   S.E.    S.S.E.     S.     S.S.W.  S.W. 

195     86     1      8      10     3     13     3      3     11     32  422 

W.SW.     W.    W.N.W.    N.W.  N.X.W. 

102     106     16      19  8 
*  Observations  by  Dr.  Danckelman. 


332 


THE  CONGO. 


climate—     At  noon  the  direction  of  wind  currents  are  between 

Part  II. 

west  and  north,  as  follows  : — 

W.  W.N.W.  N.W.  N.N.W.  N. 

32  per  cent.   11  per  cent.    16  per  cent.  12  per  cent.   13  per  cent. 


At  3  p.m.:— 

W.  W.N.W.  N.W. 

74  per  cent.      10  per  cent.      6  per  cent. 

At  9  p.m.  and  with  stronger  force : — 

s.  s.s.w.  s.w.  w.s.w.  w. 

10  per  cent.   26  per  cent.   21  per  cent.   14  per  cent.   18  per  cent. 

He  also  observed  how  often  the  wind  blew  in  such 
force  as  to  make  the  wooden  structures  of  Vivi  tremble.* 


May,  1882 

.    11  times. 

December,  1882 

2 

June  „ 

•    17  „ 

January,  1883 

.  6 

July 

•    13  „ 

March 

» 

.  4 

August  „ 

.    12  „ 

April 

a 

.  0 

September  „ 

.    15  „ 

May 

}> 

.  9 

October  „ 

17  „ 

June 

)> 

.  8 

November  „ 

•     2  „ 

July 

if 

.  17 

The  velocity  of  the  wind  measured  by  the  anemometer 
as  recorded  by  Dr.  Danckelman  is  as  follows : 


From  2  June  to  12  June 


12  „ 
22  „ 

2  July 
12  „ 
22  „ 

1  Aug. 
11  „ 
21  „ 
31  „ 


22  „ 
2  July 
12  „ 
22  „ 

1  Aug. 
11  „ 
21  „ 
31  „ 
10  Sept. 


145  •  1  miles  per  day. 
146-6 
109-4 
98-4 
142-0 
106-0 

lll'l 
183-5 
166-4 
166-1 


*  Such  strong  blasts  would  scarcely  be  noticeable  on  the  sea-coast, 
which  proves  how  the  funnel-shaped  gorge  or  canon  collects  the  gentle 
sea-breezes,  and  draws  them  up  until  the  wind  becomes  a  strong  gale. 


WIND  OBSERVATIONS. 


333 


From  10  Sept.  to  20  Sept.  , 

„  20   „     „  30  „ 

„  30   „     „  10  Oct. 

„  10  Oct.   „  20  „ 

„  20   „     „  30  „ 

„  30  „     ta   9  Nov. 

„  9  Nov.  „  19  „ 

?5  19   »     »  29  „ 

„  29   „     „    9  Dec. 

9  Dec.      19  ,, 

„  19   „     „  29  „ 

„  29   „     „    8  Jan. 
„     8  Jan.  „  18  „ 

„  28   „     „    7  Feb. 
„     7  Feb.  „  17  „ 

„  17   „     „  27  „ 

„  27  „  „  9  March 
„     9  Mar.  „  19  „ 

>>  19      55        55    29  „ 

„  29   „     „    8  April 


At  Vivi  the  strongest  winds  blow  at  night,  from 
south-westerly  up  the  Congo.  Between  Stanley  Pool 
and  the  expansion  of  the  Congo  above  Chumbiri  be- 
tween 9  a.m.  and  4  p.m.,  during  which  time  the  wTinds 
are  strong  gales  frequently.  At  night  it  is  calm,  and 
the  native  canoes  resume  their  journeys. 

Above  the  Equator  the  strongest  winds  are  between 
1  p.m.  and  3  p.m. 

About  rains  on  the  Lower  Congo,  Dr.  Danckelman 
makes  the  following  observations  : — 

"At  Vivi  the  most  copious  rains  fall  during  the  months  of  November 
and  April.  In  1882  the  rains  ceased  on  the  12th  of  May,  but  a  small 
shower  was  observed  on  the  18th  of  May.  Then  appeared  the  dry 
season,  which  continued  till  the  10th  of  October.  A  month  later 
serious  rains  began  on  the  10th  of  November,  lasting  till  the  27th 
of  November.  There  was  a  cessation  in  the  rainfall  until  the  6th  of 
December. 

"Between  the  27th  of  December  and  the  11th  of  January  there  was 
another  dry  interval,  and  between  the  29th  of  January  and  lGth  of 


1  K9  i  O  -i-v->i"li~ici 

loA  a  miles 

per 

\.ja  / 

» 

AAL  i 

AAO  1 

" 

10  J  A 

>> 

100  J 

>» 

1114. 
111  1 

55 

on  - 1 

55 

DO  U 

55 

\JO  o 

» 

too 

a 

110  1 

5> 

191  '(\ 
1A1  O 

» 

OO  1 

W  A 

» 

749 

»» 

85-3 

55 

102-4 

55 

95-2 

55 

75-0 

55 

Climate — 
Part  II. 


334 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate—  February  110  ra*n  fell-    in  March  rainy  days  were  separated  by  many 
Part  II.    dry  dftye,  but  in  April  the  rains  were  nearly  continuous.    The  greatest 
rainfall  measured  on  one  day  0*433  inch,  on  the  night  of  the  17th 
December,  1882,  and  lasted  2  hours  50  minutes." 


Dr.   Danckelman   has   tabulated   the   rainfalls  as 


follows  : — 


English  Inches. 

January   2-888 

February   1-404 

March   5-616 

April   9-009 

May   1-989 

June   0-000 

July    ........  0-039 

August   0-000 

September   0-000. 

October   0-507 

November   11  '232 

December   8  "853 


Inches 


.  41-537 


While  travelling  I  observed  the  rainfalls  by  lime, 
and  the  result  may  be  seen  in  the  following  table : 


1880-1881. 


Months. 

H. 

31. 

September 

5 

0 

October 

.  11 

15 

November 

.  40 

0 

December  . 

.  42 

0 

January  . 

.  28 

0 

February  . 

.  73 

0 

March  . 

.  30 

30 

April  . 

.  28 

0 

May    .    .  . 

.  24 

0 

281 

45 

1881-1882. 


Months. 

h.  jr. 

September 

.    27  30 

October 

.    27  50 

November 

56  5 

December . 

.    15  30 

January  . 

.    25  10 

February  . 

.    49  30 

March  . 

.    15  0 

April  .    .  . 

.    25  0 

May    .    .  . 

.     9  0 

250  35 

RAINFALL  OBSERVATIONS:  335 
Kainfall  1880-1881. 

Climate— 

  Part  II. 


Date. 

Character  of  Kain. 

H.  M. 

Hours  per 
Month. 

1880. 

Sept.  9  . 

Misty  rain,  lasting  . 

0  15 

„  11  . 

0  20 

„  12  . 

0  10 

„  13  . 

0  5 

„  14  . 
>> 

0  10 

„  15  . 

1  Strong  shower  (thunder) 

2  0 

(    and  lightning)    .    .  ( 

»  iy  • 

Slight  shower 

1  0 

O  \J\J 

i  Heavy   rain  (thunder) 

Oct.  19  . 

4-  0 

\    and  lightning)    .    .  ( 

„  24  . 

Slight  shower   .    .  . 

0  15 

„  2o  . 

Heavy  rain  .... 

3  0 

„   27  . 

Slight  rain  .... 

2  0 

„  28  . 

.... 

1  0 

tin 

„  29  . 

.... 

1  0 

11-15 

Nov.  1  . 

Much  rain  .... 

3  0 



„    2  . 

Smart  shower  . 

1  0 

„    3  . 

Heavy  rain  .... 

6  0 

n      4  . 

• 

Slight  shower  . 
Heavy  rain  .... 

5  0 

u     5  . 

1  0 

„  10  . 

5  0 

Between  Vivi  and 

„  11  . 

Smart  shower  . 

2  0 

Isangila. 

»   12  . 

Slight  shower  . 

1  0 

„  14  . 

Showery  

2  0 

»  15  • 

Heavy  rain  . 

10  0 

>>  1"  • 

Slight  rain  .... 

0  30 

„  25  . 

>»  .... 

0  cO 

Cl') 

ft  28  . 

Steady  rain  .... 

3  0 

■±u  uu 

Dec.  2  . 

Heavy  rain  .... 

5  0 

„  .... 

9  0 

>,    5  . 

Steady  rain  .... 

5  0 

n 

„     b  . 

>>        •    •    •  • 

3  0 

9 

lit/oiVj'  olio  wci     .       .  . 

1  0 

»  11  • 

Heavy  rain,  lasting 

4  0 

12  . 

1  0 

„  15  . 

Heavy  rain  .... 

6  0 

„  18  . 

Moderate  rain  . 

2  0 

„  20  . 

Heavy  shower  and  storm 

0  30 

„  21  . 

Storm  and  rain  . 

1  0 

„  23  . 

Slight  rain  .... 

1  0 

„  28  . 

Heavy  shower  . 

2  0 

„  30  . 

1  30 

42-00 

/ 

336 


THE  CONGO. 


Climate — 
Tart  II. 


Date. 

Character  of  llain. 

H.  M. 

Hours  per  | 
Month. 

1881. 
Jan.  4  . 

>>    8  • 
„    9  . 
„  15  . 
„  28  . 

Eain  

JJ  

>»•••••• 

1  Light  rain  .... 

2  0 

6  0 

7  0 

3  0 
10  0 

28-00 

l  Between  Vivi  and. 

Isangila. 

Feb.  -4  . 

it      5  . 

„     6  . 
„  11  . 
„  13  . 
„  14  . 
28  . 

.... 
Heavy  rain  .... 
Light  rain  .... 
Heavy  rain  .... 

Slight  rain  .... 

12  0 
4  •  0 

11  0 
7  0 
10  0 
16  0 

13  0 

73-00 

Mar.  4  . 
„     6  • 
„    7  . 
„    9  • 
„  11  . 
„  18  . 
„  19  . 
»  23  . 
„  30  . 
„  31  . 

Light  rain  .... 
j,  .... 

)>  .... 

>}  .... 
Heavy  rain,  lasting 
Heavy  shower  . 
Light  rain  .... 

6  0 
3  0 
1  0 
1  0 
1  0 

1  0 
3  0 

12  0 
0  30 

2  0 

30 -SO 

April  2  . 
„    4  . 
„    5  . 
„    7  . 
„    8  . 
„    9  . 

n    10  • 

„  14  . 

n    18  • 

19 
n  21  : 

n    22  . 

„  23  . 

9  t 

)>  .... 

)>  .... 

>)  .... 

>)  .... 

)>  .... 
Heavy  rain  .... 
Light  rain  .... 

jj  .... 

»>  .... 

55  .... 
55  .... 
it                    k          .          .  . 

Heavy  rain  .... 
Light  rain  .... 

0  30 

1  0 
1  0 
1  0 
3  0 

0  30 

1  0 

2  30 
10  0 

1  0 
0  30 

3  0 

2  0 
9  n 

A  U 

28-00 

Between  Isangila 
,    and  Manyanga. 

May  4  . 

„    7  . 
11  • 

| Heavy  rains,  about 

24  0 

24-00 

n    13     •  j 

RAINFALL  OBSERVATIONS. 


337 


Rainfall  1881-1882. 


Climate- 
Part  II. 


Character  of  Rain. 


Heavy  rain  (thunder) 
and  lightning)   .    .  / 
Light  rain  . 


Moderate 


Heavy  shower 
Shower  .  . 


Heavy  shower 

>>  • 
Light  rain  . 


Heavy  shower 
)> 

Slight  shower 
Light  rain  . 


Showery 


Heavy  rain 


Slight  showers 
Very  slight  . 
Light  rain  . 
Heavy  rain  . 


Showery  . 
Violent  rainstorm 


Showery  . 
Steady  rain  . 

Slight  shower 
Moderate  rain 


8  0 

2  30 
8  0 
2  0 
7  0 


0  10 
0  10 
2  30 


2 

0 

2 

0 

8 

0 

8 

0 

6 

0 

4 

0 

3 

0 

10 

0 

5 

0 

6 

0 

3 

0 

7 

0 

0 

5 

12 

0 

4 

0 

3 

0 

1  30 

0  30 
3  0 
3  30 


Hours  per 
Month. 


27-30 


27-50 


56-5 


15-30 


25-10 


49  30 


Between 
Manyanga  and 
Stanley  Pool. 


Leopoldvillc. 


Vol 


II.-22 


338  THE  CONGO. 


Climate — 
Part  II. 


Date. 

Character  of  Rain. 

H.  M. 

Hours  per 
Month. 

Mar  12 
„  20  . 
„  24  . 
„  26  . 
»  27  . 
ti  28  . 

Slight  showery  . 
Violent  raiustorrn 

3  0 

2  0 

4  0 

1  0 

3  0 

2  0 

15-00 

j  Leopoldville. 

April  2  . 
„    4  . 
„  18  • 
M  20  . 
„  26  . 
„  27  . 

Violent  rainstorm  . 
Slight  shower  . 
Light  rain  .... 
Violent  rain  and  storm. 

2  30 

1  30 

2  0 
8  0 
7  0 

4  o 

ZD  uu 

Between 
Leopoldville  and 
Kwa  Eiver. 

May  3  . 
„    4  . 
„    5  . 

Light  rain  .... 
Heavy  rain  .... 
Light  rain  .... 

2  0 
4  0 

3  0 

9-00 

General  Meteorological  Table. 


Rainfall  by 
Time. 

Number  of 
Days. 

Rainfall 
by  Tinie, 
in  Hours. 

Rainfall 

in 
Inches. 

Wind*. 
Mean  Velocity 
in  Miles 
per  day  of 
24  hours. 

Winds 
from 
Westerly 
direction. 

Annual 
Tempera- 
ture, 
Fahrenheit. 
Mean 
Highest. 

Annual 
Tempera- 
ture, 
Fahrenheit. 
Mean 
Lowest. 

Mean 
Annual 
Variation. 

1880-  81  .  80  281  45) 

1881-  82  .  59  250  35  j 

41  h 

125 

Per  cent 

90 

o 

90 

O 

67 

0 

25 

NAVIGABLE  STRETCHES  OF  THE  RIVEli.  339 


CHAPTER  XXXYII. 

THE  KERNEL  OF  THE  ARGUMENT. 

Extent  of  the  Congo  River— Navigable  stretches — The  maritime  region — 
The  mountain  region — Elevations,  vegetation,  and  productions — 
Population — Interior  basin  of  the  Upper  Congo:  its  extent  and 
altitudes— Navigability  of  the  tributaries — Tables  of  mileage  of 
navigable  waters — Area  drained  by  the  rivers — Tables  of  population 
of  Upper  Congo  section— Opinions  of  Dr.  Pogge  and  Lieut.  Weiss- 
man,  Tippu  Tib,  and  Dr.  Schweinfurth — The  products  of  the  land — 
Vegetable  and  animal  richness — Minerals — Extent  of  the  Webb-Lua- 
laba  section— Navigability  of  the  Webb-Lualaba  -  Characteristics  of 
the  Lualaba  country — Livingstone's  descriptions — The  Tanganika 
territory — Ujiji  markets — Table  of  the  actual  knowledge  of  the  Congo 
basin :  its  area  and  population — Possibilities  of  trade — Table  of  the 
value  of  African  produce  in  Liverpool — Prospects  of  factories — 
Advantages  of  a  railway  —Efforts  to  civilise  Equatorial  Africa — Com- 
parison with  other  countries — Its  future  development  and  greatness. 

The  Congo  River  is  over  3000  statute  lllllt'S  111  The  Kernel 
length,  measured  as  follows  :  From  the  Atlantic  Argument, 
ocean  in  a  navigable  length  of  110  miles,  as  far  as 
the  station  of  Vivi,  thence  upward  to  Isangila,  the 
lower  .series  of  the  Livingstone  Falls,  50  miles  ;  from 
Isangila  to  Manyanga  we  have  a  tolerably  navigable 
stretch  of  88  miles ;  between  Manyanga  and  Le'o- 
poldville  is  the  upper  series  of  Livingstone  Falis, 
along  a  length  of  85  miles ;    from  Le'opoldville  up- 


340 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  ward  to  Stanley  Falls  we  have  a  navigable  length  of 
Argument.  10G8  mi les  ;  from  the  lowest  fall  of  this  last  series 
to  Nyangwe  there  is  a  course  of  385  miles  ;  from 
Xvangwe  to  Mweru  the  river  course  extends  440 
miles;  the  length  of  Lake  Mweru  is  67  miles;  thence 
to  lake  Bangweolo  is  220  miles ;  Lake  Bangweolo, 
or  Bemba,  is  161  miles  long ;  and  thence  to  its  sources 
in  the  Chibale'  Hills,  the  Chambezi  has  a  length  of 
360  miles;  the  full  total  of  these  several  courses 
being  3034  miles. 

For  convenience  of  description,  as  well  as  in  accord- 
ance with  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  Congo 
basin,  I  am  compelled  to  divide  the  river's  course  into 
five  sections,  thus  :  The  LowTer  Congo  from  the  sea  to 
Leopoldville,  which  includes  the  maritime  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  mountain  region  ;  the  Upper  Congo,  ex- 
tending from  the  Livingstone  Falls  near  Leopoldville 
to  the  Stanley  Falls  ;  the  Webb-Lualaba  *  region,  the 
Chambezi  section,  and  the  basin  of  the  Tanganika. 

In  the  Lower  Congo  section  the  river  is  navigable 
for  a  distance  of  110  miles.  First  by  an  estuary- 
like expansion  70  miles  long,  varying  from  two  to 
seven  miles  and  a  third  in  breadth,  and  then  by  a 
deep  channel  in  some  places  over  300  feet  deep,  and 
about  1500  yards  wide.  The  present  seaport  is  on  the 
right  bank  of  Banana  Creek,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

What  might  be  called  a  strictly  maritime  region 
of  the  Congo  is  a  very  narrow  belt  lying  between 

*  So  called  by  Dr.  Livingstone  in  honour  of  W.  F.  Webb,  Esq.,  of 
Newstead  Abbey,  Nottingham. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  REGION. 


341 


the  sea  and  the  hilly  region.    In  the  neighbourhood  The  Kernel 

of  the 

of  Boma   the   mountainous  region  commences  with  Argument 
numberless  lines  or  groups  of  inferior  hills  which  are 
yet  attached  to  one  another,  and  rise  gradually  after 
an  infinite  number  of  undulations  to  the  height  of 
2300  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

In  reality  the  breadth  of  the  mountain  region  direct 
east  and  west  is  240  geographical  miles  ;  but  the 
course  of  the  Congo  is  diagonally  through  it,  in  a 
fissure-like  trough  running  from  north-east  to  south- 
west, into  which  ships  may  penetrate  a  depth  of  50 
miles  from  above  the  estuary  of  the  lower  river,  while 
on  the  eastern  side  there  is  a  navigable  diagonal  course 
of  174  miles  leading  into  the  plain-like  lands  of  the 
Upper  Congo. 

From  the  height  of  Iyumbi  ridge,  for  instance,  which 
is  2276  feet  above  the  sea,  by  sweeping  the  horizon 
round  with  a  theodolite  horizontally,  the  topmost 
altitude  of  the  boldest  hills  which  appeared  in  view 
throughout  an  area  of  2000  square  miles  did  not  vary 
50  feet  in  height,  although  there  were  a  countless 
number  of  hilltops  and  grey  swells  of  upland  separated 
by  crevasses,  gorges,  and  long  sinuous  watercourses, 
proving  that  the  land  we  surveyed  was  a  disintegrated 
plateau,  denuded  in  the  course  of  ages  of  its  rich  loam 
by  numberless  tropic  rain  seasons.  On  the  larger  levels 
where  the  loamy  soil  was  still  retained,  groves  of 
palms  and  bits  of  tropical  forest  were  seen,  indicating 
what  the  land  might  have  been  originally.  The 
hollows^  into  which  some  of  the  soil  has  been  washed 


342 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  or  interrupted  in  its  descent  are  easily  traceable  by 

of  the 

Argument,  the  dark  wavy  lines,  belts  and  bars  of  foliage,  which 
appear  more  and  more  shadowy  as  they  recede.  If 
we  step  near  the  verge  of  one  of  these  and  look  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  gorges,  we  view  a  lengthy 
sunken  bed  of  evergreen  vegetation  so  dense  and  dark 
that  one  wonders  whether  they  are  penetrable.  In 
brief,  almost  every  tabular  hill  of  any  dimension  is 
crested  with  a  palm-grove  and  forest  clump ;  the 
smaller  hills  and  slopes  are  mere  wastes  of  sere  grass  ; 
the  hollows,  ravines,  gorges  and  valleys  teem  with  a 
marvellous  wealth  of  vegetable  life. 

The  productions  of  the  mountain  region  which  are 
suitable  for  commerce  are  very  simple.  The  levels  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  palm-groves  and  villages  produce 
the  ground-nuts  of  commerce  ;  from  the  crimson-yellow 
nuts  of  the  palms  (Elais  guineensis)  is  extracted  the 
palm-butter ;  in  the  gorge-forests  the  india-rubber 
creeper  is  found  ;  some  orchilla-weed  and  gum-copal 
are  also  present. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea  and  the  navigable 
part  of  the  lower  river  the  country  has  been  fairly 
well  exploited.  There  are  certain  well  developed  lines 
of  native  travel,  such  as  the  trade  routes  leading  from 
Stanley  Pool  to  Zombo,  to  San  Salvador  and  the 
coast,  and  to  Loango ;  but  the  larger  part  of  the 
region  is  but  slightly  influenced,  except  in  a  very 
indirect  manner,  by  the  establishment  of  trading 
depots  at  the  Lower  Congo  and  the  coast. 

The  superficial  area  of  the  maritime  and  mountain 


TEACHABLE  NATIVES. 


343 


region  of  the  Congo,  which  includes  all  that  portion  The  Kernel 
of  the  basin  extending  between  the  sea  and  the  lower  Argument, 
end  of  Stanley  Pool,  measures  33,000  square  miles. 
The  population,  from  the  effects  of  the  slave-trade 
and  internal  wars,  cannot  be  estimated  at  more  than 
nine  souls  to  the  square  mile — say,  300,000,  governed 
by  at  least  300  chiefs.  We  have  proved  them  to  be 
tractable  during  six  years  of  most  peaceful  intercourse, 
during  which  we  have  experienced  only  two  interrup- 
tions with  those  immediately  under  our  control.  The 
happy  condition  of  our  native  transport  column  is  an 
evidence  that  the  natives  of  this  region  are  teachable, 
and  amenable  to  improvement  and  discipline.  The 
latest  reports  of  1885  prove  that  about  1500  porters 
are  employed  monthly. 

The  next  section  we  have  to  consider  is  the  interior 
basin  of  the  Dpper  Congo,  beginning  from  the  longi- 
tude of  Le'opoldville  at  the  lower  end  of  Stanley  Pool,, 
and  ending  at  the  longitude  of  Stanley  Falls. 

At  Stanley  Falls  we  find  the  altitude  of  the  river 
to  be  1511  feet  above  the  ocean. *  In  a  curving  course 
of  1068  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  from  twenty- 
eight  miles  north  of  the  Equator  to  2°  13'  N.  and 
down  to  4°  17'  south  of  the  Equator,  across  nine 
degrees  of  longitude,  the  slope  of  the  descent  has 
been  four  inches  to  the  mile.  The  concave  of  this 
almost  perfect  bow-like  course  of  the  Upper  Congo  is 
distant  from  the  sources  of  the  tributaries,  flowing 
into  it  from  the  south,  913  geographical  miles  in 
*  Later  measurements  do  not  vary  30  feet  from  the  above. 


344 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  a  direct  line.  The  convex  of  the  bow  is  distant 
Argument,  from  the  water-parting  which  supplies  its  tributaries 

from  the  north  330  geographical  miles  in  a  direct 

line. 

Of  the  southern  tributaries  flowing  into  the  great 
river  the  largest  are  the  Kwa,  Mohindu,  Ikelemba, 
Lulungu,  and  Lubiianzi. 

By  ascending  the  Kwa  we  obtain  a  navigable 
length  of  281  miies  to  the  upper  extremity  of  Lake 
Leopold  II.  The  Mbihe  and  Ngana  branches  will 
add  a  further  course  of  220  miles. 

Two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  the  Kwa  the 
Lukanga  is  discovered,  which  leads  us  into  Lake  Man- 
tumba,  whose  populous  shores  must  not  be  neglected 
by  the  future  trader  in  the  Upper  Congo. 

From  the  confluence  of  the  Lukanga  with  the 
Congo  to  the  extremity  of  Lake  Mantumba  is  seventy 
miles. 

Sixty  miles  above  the  Lukanga  we  arrive  at  the 
fine  river  Mohindu.  We  only  explored  it  for  about 
eighty  miles,  but,  considering  its  magnitude  and  the 
native  reports,  we  may  estimate  its  navigability  to  be 
about  650  miles. 

About  thirty  miles  higher  up  the  Congo  is  the 
Ikelemba,  which  I  estimate  will  furnish  125  miles  of 
river  course  accessible  to  trade.  It  is  the  commercial 
reserve  of  the  Bakuti  tribe. 

The  next  river  we  arrive  at  is  the  Lulungu,  which 
will  probably  be  found,  with  its  tributaries,  Lulua  and 
Lubi,  navigable  for  over  800  miles.     Its  banks  are 


TRIBUTARIES  OF  THE  RIVER.  345 


reported  to  be  more  populous  than  those  of  the  Congo.  The  Kernel 

of  the 

This  river  is  exploited  by  the  Bauranga  and  Bakumira  Argument, 
mostly. 

The  next  river  is  the  Lubiranzi,  which  is  navi- 
gable only  for  twenty-five  miles,  when  it  becomes 
interrupted  by  rapids  ;  and,  although  they  are  very 
slight,  they  are  sufficient  to  impede  the  navigation. 

Beginning  at  Stanley  Pool  to  survey  the  naviga- 
bility of  the  northern  tributaries,  the  first  river  is  the 
Lawson-Lufini,  which  is  navigable  for  thirty  miles. 

The  next  is  the  Mikene'-Alima,  which  we  can  ascend 
for  thirty  miles.  Above  this  is  the  Likuba,  navigable 
for  perhaps  fifty  miles.  A  few  miles  higher  up  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  variously  called  Is.anga,  or  Bunga, 
which  is  probably  the  Likona  of  Ballay,  is  reached. 
From  all  reports  this  river  may  be  ascended  for 
120  miles.  Nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Lukanga 
is  the  Balui  Biver,  a  large  water  entering  by  a  delta. 
My  friend,  Miyongo,  of  Usindi,  has  led  me  to  believe 
by  his  itinerary  that  it  will  be  navigable  for  350  miles. 
The  next  river  as  yet  discovered  above  the  Balui  is 
the  large  river  of  Ubangi,  and  above  this  is  the  Ngala, 
flowing  from  the  east  into  the  Congo,  half-way  between 
Upoto  and  Iboko.  Some  fifty  miles  of  an  ascent  leads 
me  to  expect  that,  writh  its  affluents,  wTe  shall  find  navi- 
gation for  about  450  miles.  Numbers  of  large  towns 
are  on  its  banks. 

Above  the  Ngala  is  the  Itimbiri,  explored  for  thirty 
miles.  So  far  from  its  magnitude,  and  from  the 
native  reports,  I  should  estimate  that  we  shall  find 


346 


THE  CONGO. 


the  Kernel  navigable  water  of  the  aggregate  length  of  250  miles. 

of  the 

Argument.  The  Nkuku,  its  immediate  neighbour,  probably  may 
be  ascended  for  sixty  miles,  while  the  Biyerre  has  been 
proved  navigable  for  ninety-six  miles,  and  the  Chofu  is 
known  to  be  impassable  after  an  ascent  of  twenty-five 
miles. 

Thus  the  navigation  uninterruptedly  available,  after 
leaving  the  river  bay  let  of  Leopoldville,  is  as  follows: — 


Left 
bank 


From  Leopoldville  to  Stanley  Falls  direct . 
Kwa  Eiver,  Kwango  and  Lake  Leopold  II. 
The  Lukanga  and  Lake  Mantumba  . 

Mohindn  Eiver  

Ikelemba  „   

Lulungu  and  its  tributaries  

Lubiranzi  

Nseleh,  Wampoko  and  Lagoons,  left  bank  . 


English  miles. 

.  1063 
.  500 
70 

.  6.:o 

.  125 
.  800 
25 

.  200 


'Lawson-Lufini  River 
Mikene-Alinia 


Eight  / 
bank 


  30 

  30 

Likuba   50 

Isanga-Bunga,  or  Likona  Eiver   120 

Balui   350 

Ubangi  Eiver,  and  its  affluents   350 

Ngala  and  its  affluents   450 

Itimbiri  and  its  tributaries   250 

Nkuku  Eiver   60 

Biyerre    „    96 

{ Chofu   25 

Total   5249  miles. 


From  the  following  table  of  the  length  of  the  rivers, 
and  their  principal  tributaries,  which  flow  into  this 
section  of  the  Congo  basin,  may  be  inferred  what 
additional  mileage  to  navigation  will  be  furnished  to 
commerce  after  the  development  of  geographical  know- 
ledge. 


TABLES  OF  MILEAGE. 


347 


Eight  Bank. 


Name  of  River. 


Lawson-Lufini 
Mikene-Alima 
Isanga-Likona 
Balui 

West  branch  . 
Ubangi  .    .  . 
Ngala    .    .  . 
West  branch  . 
Itimbiri 
Nkuku  . 
Biyerre  . 
Nepoko . 
Bornokandi 
Nan da  . 
Chofu   .    .  . 
Lindi  . 


Length 
of 

Sub-Tributary. 


200 


500 


520 
250 
170 

300 


Length 
of  Principal  ! 
Tributary. 


150 
170 
260 
510 


850 

510 
340 
765 


350 


Total. 


150 
170 

260 

710 

500 
1350 

510 
340 

1705 

650 
6345 


The  Kernel 

or  the 
Argument. 


Left  Bank. 


600 

Mfini  and  Lake  Leopold  EL  . 

281 

|  1200 

Eastern  branch  

320 

Mohindu  or  Kwilu  .... 
Lulo  

530 

850 

[  1380 

Ikelemba  

280 

280 

1275 

Lufua  

250 
585 

|  2535 

425 

Lubiranzi  or  Lubilash    .    .  . 

935 

765 

|  2125 

425 

7520 

Total  . 

13,865 

348 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kemei  From  the  Lubilash  and  the  Lumani  alone,  which 
Argument,  form  the  Lubiranzi,  I  have  a  strong  conviction  that  800 
miles  more  of  navigable  water  will  be  obtained,  since 
the  Arabs  of  Kiburuga  informed  me  that  they  had 
crossed  it  several  times,  and  navigated  many  days  on 
the  waters.  They  knew  only  of  the  rapids  twenty- 
five  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Congo. 

The  superficial  area  drained  by  the  various  rivers 
above  mentioned  is  1,090,000  square  statute  miles, 
into  which  we  have  direct  navigable  access  by  steam 
of  5250  miles.  This,  by  passing  one  rapid,  we  may 
increase  to  over  6000  miles.  The  wealth  of  equatorial 
Africa  lies  in  this  section.  It  is  bisected  by  the 
equator,  over  which  the  rain-belt  discharges  its  showers 
during  ten  months  of  the  year.  As  we  recede  from 
the  equatorial  line,  either  north  or  south,  the  dry 
periods  are  of  longer  duration.  At  S.  Lat.  4°  the 
long  dry  season  lasts  four  months,  from  the  middle  of 
May  to  the  middle  of  September ;  the  shorter  season 
lasts  six  weeks,  from  the  middle  of  January  to  the 
end  of  February.  At  S.  Lat.  6°,  the  dry  season  is 
about  three  weeks  longer  in  the  year. 

The  population  of  this  enormous  area  of  the  Upper 
Congo  section  may  be  approximately  ascertained  by 
estimating  the  number  of  inhabitants  at  each  district 
according  to  our  observations,  on  the  right  bank  and 
on  the  left  of  that  great  curve  of  the  Congo  between 
Stanley  Pool  and  Stanley  Falls,  and  of  the  Biyerre, 
the  Mohindu,  the  Kwa,  and  the  Lukanga,  dividing  the 
entire  area  by  the  belts  which  were  explored. 


TABLES  OF  POPULATION. 


349 


Eight  Bank.    Ascending  the  Congo. 


Name  of  District  or  Village. 


Gordon  Bennett  to  La  wson ) 
River  J 

Lawson  Eiver  to  Mikenef 
River  \ 

Mikene River  to  opposite) 
Lukolela  . ) 

Thence  to  Bungata  . 

Bukoko   

Ukumira  

Ubeng.)  .  . 

Usimbi 

Iboko  % 

Lusengo  

Ubika  

Thence  to  Iringi  . 
TJmangi  ...... 

Ukele  

Upoto  and  Ngombe"  .  . 

Luku  

Ndobo  

Ibunda  ...... 


E>timated 
Population. 


13,000 
15,000 

10,000 

50,000 
4,000 
15.000 
3;  000 
3,000 
30,000 
3,000 
10,000 
10,000 
12,000 
5,500 
6,000 
2,000 
8,000 
8,000 


207,500 


Name  of  District  or  Village. 


Bumba  

Lower  Yambinga  .  . 
Upper        „  .  . 

Ngingiri  

Villages  

Old  Yalulima. 

Bungele  

Basaka   

Boruu  

Basoko  of  Mokulu  .  . 
Upper  and  Lower  Yom-i 

burri  ) 

Intermediate  Villages  . 
Yangambi  .... 

Yaruche   

Yaryembi  

Yarukornbe  .... 

Yakusu  

Wenya  and  Bakumu 


The  Keruel 

  of  the 

Estimated  Argument. 
Population. 


207,500 

10,000 
8,000 
8,000 
5,000 
3,000 
300 
2,000 
2,000 
6,000 

15,000 

13,000 

8,000 
5,000 
3,000 
2,000 
2,000 
11,000 
3,000 

313,800 


Left  Bank.    Ascending  the  Congo. 


Kin  tamo  

Kinshassa  

Lema  

KimbaDgu  

Mbama  and  Mikunga 
Kimpoko  and  neighbour-* 

hood  ] 

To  Wampoko  Eiver  .  . 
Wampoko  Eiver  to  Ms  wata 
Mswata  and  neighbour-) 

hood  f 

Kwamouth  .... 
Kwa  Eiver  to  Bolobo 
Bolobo  to  Lukolela  . 

Lukolela  

Ngombe  

Nkuku     .    .    .    .    .  \ 

Butunu  I 

Usindi  j 

Irebu  J 

Thence  to  Mohindu  Eiver 

Uranga  

Bolombo  

Bukumbi  


Bunga  

Mutembo  .  .  .  . 
Imeme  . 
Marunja  .  .  .  . 
Mpakiwana  . 
Mpa  .  .  .  .  -  . 
Old  Eubunga.  .  . 
Yaknngo  . 

Ikassa  

Villages  . 
Yalulima  .    .    .  . 

Irubu   

Mbungu  and  Islands 
Bahamba  .  .  \  . 
Bandu  .  .  .  . 
Bahunga  .  .  .  . 
Bungungu 
Isangi 

Yaporo     .    .    .  . 
Ukanga  . 
Yakonde  . 
Yarukornbe  . 
Wenya     .    .    .  . 


212 
2 


,000 
,000 
500 
500 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,500 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,500 
,000 


319,000 


350 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel 

ot  the 
Argument. 


The  Biyerre  Eiver.    Explored  length  96  miles. 


Umaneh,  right  bank  . 

.    .  15,000 

Village,  left  bank    .  . 

.    .  1,000 

Yakui,  left  bank  . 

.    .  10,000 

„     right  bank  . 

.    .  4,000 

Isombo,  right  bank 

.    .  4,000 

Villages  

.    .  2,000 

Yarabi  

.    .  2,000 

Bondeh   

.    ;  10,000 

Irungu   

.    .  5,000 

Yambua  

.    .  5,000 

Villages  

.    .  500 

Yambumba  

.    .  20,000 

Villages  

.    .  1,000 

Thence  to  Yambnya  .  . 

.    .  15,000 

94,500 

Kwa  Eiver  and  Lake  Leopold  II. 
To  Lake  Mantumba  .... 


54,000 
25,000 


Arranged  in  a  tabular  form,  the  populations  thus 
estimated  would  present  the  following  numbers  : — 

Along  1068  miles  both  banks  of  the  Congo     .    .  632 , 800 

96    „         „           „      Biyerre  .    .  94,500 

281     „          „           „    Kwa  Eiver  and)  ^  qqq 
Lake  Leopold  II.) 


70 

1515 
2 


„  Lukanga  Eiver)  25  000 
and  Lake  Matumbaf 


2030  miles.  Total  population  of  both  banks  =  806 , 300 


If  we  estimate  these  806,300  people  as  being  settled 
along  a  belt  2030  miles  long  with  a  breadth  of  ten 
miles,  and  suppose  the  same  density  to  exist  through- 
out the  area  of  the  Upper  Congo  section,  our  quo- 
tient in  population  will  amount  to  43,294,000.  Of 
the  southern  portion  of  this  section,  Dr.  Pogge  and 


DENSITY  OF  THE  POPULATION. 


351 


Lieutenant  Weissman,  who  crossed  the  upper  Lubilash,  The  Kernel 

of  the 

Write  l   Argument. 

"  The  country  is  densely  peopled,  and  some  of  the  villages  are  miles  in 
length.  They  are  clean,  with  commodious  houses  shaded  by  oil-palms 
and  bananas,  and  surrounded  by  carefully  divided  fields,  in  which,  quite 
contrary  to  the  usual  African  practice,  man  is  seen  to  till  the  soil  whilst 
woman  attends  to  household  offices. 

"From  the  Lubilash  to  the  Lumani  there  stretches  almost  unin- 
terruptedly a  prairie  region  of  great  fertility,  the  future  pasture-grounds 
of  the  world.  The  reddish  loam  overlying  the  granite  bears  luxuriant 
grass  and  clumps  of  trees,  and  only  the  banks  are  densely  wooded. 

u  The  rains  fall  during  eight  months  of  the  year,  from  September  to 
April,  but  they  are  not  excessive.  The  temperature  varies  from  63°  Fah. 
to  81°  Fah.,  but  in  the  dry  season  it  occasionally  falls  as  low  as 
45°  Fahrenheit." 

Tippu  Tib,  the  great  Arab  trader  in  the  interior, 
who  has  traversed  the  south-east  portion  of  this  section, 
described  to  me  personally  his  astonishment  at  the  den- 
sity of  the  population.  He  told  me  hew  he  had  passed 
through  several  towns  which  took  a  couple  of  hours  to 
traverse,  of  the  beauty  of  savannah,  park,  and  prairie 
country  he  saw,  and  how  the  site  of  the  camp  left  in 
the  morning  might  be  seen  from  the  evening  camp 
after  a  six  hours'  march. 

From  the  north-east  of  this  section  we  have  the 
testimony  of  Dr.  Schweinfiirth  in  the  following  words : 
44  From  the  Welle  to  the  residence  of  the  Monbuttu 
king,  Munza,  the  way  leads  through  a  country  of 
marvellous  beauty,  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  the 
primitively  simple  dwellings  extending  on  either  side 
of  the  caravan  route. 

He  estimates  the  Xyam-Xyam  country  to  be  about 
5400  square  miles  in  extent,  populated  by  2,000,000. 


352 


TEE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  wliicli  would  be  equal  to  the  extraordinary  number  of 

of  the  , 

Argument.  3  ( 0  per  square  mile  ! 

The  Mohindu  and  Itimbiri  rivers,  a  certain  portion 
of  which  we  explored,  confirm  what  Miyongo  of 
Usindi  related  respecting  the  Lulungu,  viz.,  that  the 
further  we  travelled  from  the  immediate  banks  of  the 
great  river  the  more  numerous  became  the  people. 

The  vegetable  productions  of  this  section  are  rich 
and  varied,  but  until  intercourse  is  facilitated  little 
use  will  be  made  of  them.  This  might  be  readily 
surmised  from  the  country's  bisection  by  the  equa- 
torial line,  the  ten  months'  rains  and  the  humid 
warmth  which  nourishes  vegetation  with  extraordinary 
prolific  power. 

The  most  remarkable  among  the  vegetable  growths 
are  the  palms,  of  which  there  are  an  immense  variety, 
but  the  most  useful  to  commerce  is  the  oil-palm  (Elais 
guineensis).  Its  nut  supplies  the  dark  red  palm-oil  so 
well  known  on  the  wrest  coast,  while  its  kernel  is 
valuable  for  oil-cake  for  cattle.  Not  a  grove,  nor  an 
island  scarcely,  can  be  found  without  this  beautiful 
and  most  useful  palm;  in  some  places,  such  as  the 
district  between  the  Lower  Lumani  and  Congo,  there 
are  entire  forests  of  it.  On  the  Biyerre  the  Raphia 
vinifera  usurps  its  place.  The  larger  number  of  its 
islands  are  wholly  forests  of  this  palm.  As  the  oil- 
palm  yields  annually  from  500  to  1000  nuts,  the 
quantity  that  might  be  collected  from  this  section  is 
enormous,  and  would  well  repay  transportation  by 
rail  to  the  coast. 


VEGETABLE  WEALTH. 


353 


The  next  most  valuable  product  of  the  forest,  as  yet  The  Kernel 
untouched  in  this  region,  is  the  gum  of  the  Laudolphia  Argument. 
florida,  or  india-rubber  plant.  There  are  three  kinds 
of  plants  producing  this  article,  but  that  which  exudes 
from  Euphorbia  is  not  so  elastic  in  quality,  although 
it  may  have  its  uses.  On  the  islands  of  the  Congo, 
which  in  the  aggregate  cover  an  area  of  3000  square 
miles  with  8000  square  miles  of  the  banks  of  the  main 
river,  I  estimate  that  enough  rubber  could  be  collected 
in  one  year  to  pay  for  a  Congo  railway. 

Other  gums,  such  as  those  of  the  Trachylobum  and 
Guibourtia  species,  are  useful  for  varnishes.  The  fossil 
transparent  white  and  red  gum  copal  are  too  well 
known  for  their  value  to  need  remark.  There  are 
large  deposits  of  these  known  to  the  natives.  Among 
the  Wenya  I  discovered  large  cakes  over  18  inches 
in  diameter  of  pure  white  gum  copal.  At  some  fishing 
villages  they  contrive  to  make  torches  of  it,  but  of 
its  other  uses  they  know  nothing. 

Vegetable  oils  are  extracted  from  the  Arachis  hypogea, 
or  ground-nut,  the  oil-berry,  castor  oil.  The  first  is 
used  for  lights,  the  second  for  cooking  and  gravies, 
the  third  is  medicinal,  as  with  us. 

Vast  extents  of  forest  are  veiled  with  the  orchilla 
moss.  Between  Iboko  and  Langa-Langa  I  saw  a 
strip  of  forest  about  60  miles  in  length  draped  with 
orchilla  lying  on  the  woods  like  a  green  veil.  Every 
village  contains  its  manufactured  rolls  of  redwood 
powder,  and  few  settlements  between  the  equator  and 
the  Kwa  could  not  furnish  a  few  hundredweights  at 
Vol.  II.— 23 


354 


THE  CONOO. 


lenel  the  first  order.    Every  trading  canoe  floating  on  the 
ent*  Upper  Congo  possesses  among  its  saleable  wares  a 
certain  store  of  this  universally-demanded  article. 

The  vegetation  of  the  Upper  Congo  is  also  remark- 
able for  the  quantities  of  fibres  it  produces  for  the 
manufacture  of  paper,  rope,  basket-work,  fine  and 
coarse  matting,  and  grass-cloths;  these  are  furnished 
by  the  Papyrus  antiquorum,  aloes,  Stipa  tenaccissima, 
Calamus  indicus,  Phoenix  spinosa,  Raphia  vinifera,  and 
Adansonia. 

Just  as  Lake  Mantumba  furnishes  the  largest  quan- 
tity of  redwood  powder;  Iboko  palm-fibre  matting; 
Irebu,  Calamus  fibred  sunshades  nnd  floor  mats ;  Yalu- 
lima,  double  bells ;  Ubangi,  swords ;  so  Lukolela  is 
famous  for  its  tobacco  coils,  with  which  product  they 
conduct  an  extensive  river  trade.  Lukolela  is  also 
remarkable  for  its  fine  timber  and  its  wild  coffee. 

In  this  region,  among  the  many  minor  items  avail- 
able which  commercial  intercourse  would  teach  the 
natives  to  employ  profitably,  are  monkey,  goat,  ante- 
lope, buffalo,  lion,  and  leopard  skins  ;  the  gorgeous 
feathers  of  the  tropic  birds,  hippopotamus  teeth,  bees- 
wax, frankincense,  myrrh,  tortoise-shell,  Cannabis 
sativa,  and  lastly  ivory,  which  to-day  is  considered 
the  most  valuable  product.  It  may  be  presumed  that 
there  are  about  200,000  elephants  in  about  15,000 
herds  in  the  Congo  basin,  each  carrying,  let  us  say, 
on  an  average  50  lbs.  weight  of  ivory  in  his  head, 
which  would  represent,  when  collected  and  sold  in 
Europe,  £5,000,000.    To  some,  perhaps,  this  would 


IVORY,  RUDDER,  AND  PALM-OIL. 


355 


appear  a  large  estimate,  but  it  is  much  more  moderate  ■  fhe  Kerne 
than  a  statement  made  the  other  day  to  rne  by  a  gentle-  Argument, 
man,  who  solemnly  declared  he  had  met  a  herd  of  at 
least  300  elephants  in  a  small  river,  and  that  he  and 
his  servant  had  slaughtered  so  many  that  the  river 
had  overflown  its  banks,  and,  like  another  angry  Sca- 
mander,  threatened  to  engulf  him  and  his  confederate. 

Mr.  Ingham,  a  missionary,  lately  shot  twenty-five 
elephants,  and  obtained  money  for  the  ivory  ;  and 
Major  Yetch,  at  another  locality  not  far  off,  shot  twenty. 
As  the  Congo  basin  is  a  large  area,  and  considering 
the  tons  upon  tons  drawn  for  the  last  eighty  years 
from  the  eastern  half  of  Africa,  it  may  be  that  I  have 
under-estimated  the  number  of  elephants  still  living 
in  the  unexploited  and  virgin  western  half  of  the 
continent. 

In  my  opinion  the  ivory,  however,  stands  but  fifth 
in  rank  among  the  natural  products  of  the  basin.  The 
total  value  of  the  ivory  supposed  to  be  in  existence  in 
this  region  to-day  would  but  represent  107,500  tons 
of  palm-oil,  or  30,000  tons  of  india-rubber.  If  every 
warrior  living  on  the  immediate  banks  of  the  Congo 
and  its  navigable  affluents— which  are  of  the  aggregate 
length  of  10,800  miles,  within  easy  reach  of  the  trader 
above  Le'opoldville — were  to  pick  about  a  third  of  a 
pound  in  rubber  each  day  throughout  the  year,  or  to 
melt  two-thirds  of  a  pound  weight  of  palm-oil,  and 
convey  it  to  the  trader  for  sale,  £5,000,000  worth  of 
vegetable  produce  could  be  obtained  without  exhaus- 
tion of  the  wild  forest  productions.    Or  if,  in  the  same 


356  THE  CONGO. 

The  Kernel  manner,  each  native  warrior  picked  half  a  pound  of 

of  the 

Argument,  gum-copal  per  day,  or  collected  half  a  pound  per  day 
of  orch ilia- weed,  or  made  his  wife  grind  out  half  a 
pound  of  camwood  or  redwood  powder,  ample  proof 
would  he  given  that  any  one  of  the  productions 
of  the  forests  alone  as  articles  of  commerce  have  a 
value  greatly  superior  to  ivory.  Although  ivory  is 
such  a  precious  article,  it  is  by  no  means  inexhaustible, 
and  therefore  it  cannot  be  rated  very  high.  By  the 
most  trifling  labour  of  the  able-bodied  warriors  living 
on  the  edge  of  the  bank  of  the  navigable  river  more 
of  either  palm-oil,  rubber,  gum,  orchilla-weed,  or  cam- 
wood, could  be  produced  in  one  year  than  all  the  ivory 
in  the  Congo  basin  is  worth. 

At  the  same  time,  although  limited,  it  is  a  valuable 
product,  and  as  such  will  be  an  object  to  commerce. 
If  200  tusks  arrived  per  week  at  Stanley  Pool,  or  say 
£260,000  per  annum,  it  would  still  require  twenty-five 
years  to  destroy  the  elephant  in  the  Congo  basin. 

In  minerals  this  section  is  by  no  means  poor.  Iron 
is  abundant.  Yalulima,  Iboko,  Irebu,  and  Ubangi  are 
famous  for  their  swordsmiths.  The  Yakusu  and  Basoko 
are  pre-eminent  for  their  spears.  In  the  museum  of 
the  Association  at  Brussels  are  spear-blades  six  feet 
long  and  four  inches  broad,  which  I  collected  among 
those  tribes. 

The  copper  mines  near  Phillippeville  supply  a  very 
large  portion  of  Western  Africa  with  their  ingots. 
At  the  market  of  Many  an  ga  several  hundredweights 
of  these  change  hands.    The  south-eastern  portion  of 


MINERALS,  SUGAR,  RICE,  ETC. 


357 


the  section  of  the  Upper  Congo  supplies  numerous  cara-  The  Kernel 
vans  with  their  stores  of  smelted  copper.  Plumbago  Argument, 
is  also  abundant.  Gold  has  been  found  by  the  roving 
Arabs  in  the  beds  of  streams,  and  some  of  those  met 
by  me  returning  from  their  slave  raids  possessed  small 
glass  bottles  which  contained  the  treasures  of  small 
gold  nuggets  they  had  found. 

Every  native  village  on  the  Upper  Congo  has  its 
sugar-cane  plats  and  maize.  Bananas  and  plaintains 
naturally  thrive  marvellously.  In  the  Kwa  valley  the 
natives  eat  bread  of  millet  flour ;  but  the  cassava  or 
manioc,  sweet  and  bitter  kinds,  furnishes  the  staple 
farinaceous  food  of  the  people  along  the  main  river. 
The  leguminous  plant  most  in  favour  is  the  black  field 
bean,  which  is  very  like  the  grain  of  India;  it  is  most 
prolific  and  hardy,  needing  but  little  cultivation. 

Among  the  vegetables  are  yams,  sweet  potatoes, 
brinjalls,  cucumbers,  melons,  pumpkins,  tomatoes,  &c. 
Lately  the  cabbage,  the  European  potato  and  onion, 
have  been  introduced,  and  thrive  most  promisingly  at 
Leopoldville  and  Kinshassa. 

On  the  eastern  edge  of  this  section  the  Arabs  are 
fast  introducing  the  large-grained  upland  rice  with  extra- 
ordinary success.  At  Wane  Kirungu  they  harvested  in 
1882,  30,000  bushels  of  rice,  and  about  500  bushels 
of  wheat.  While  the  Association  has  advanced  from 
the  west  with  mangoes,  papaws,  limes,  oranges,  pine- 
apples and  guava,  the  Arabs  have  made  remarkable 
progress  from  the  east  with  the  same  fruits. 

There  is  a  countless  number  of  valuable  plants  use- 


358 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  ful  for  their  oils,  like  the  "  candle-berry  "  tree,  &c. ; 

of  the 

Argument,  and  for  medicinal  uses,  like  the  Cashew,  the  Jatrophe 
purgans,  the  Strychnas,  the  Amomum,  &c.  There  are 
also  to  be  found  the  wild  ginger,  and  nutmeg,  the 
Semicarbus  anacardiuin,  or  marking-ink  plant;  but 
these  have  no  value  to  commerce,  and  more  properly 
belong  to  the  botanist.  Cotton,  however,  is  discovered 
wild  and  indigenous  everywhere,  especially  on  the 
sites  of  deserted  settlements,  and  may  in  the  future  be 
considered  something  more  than  a  curiosity  in  a  broad 
and  spacious  region  so  well  adapted  for  its  growth. 

The  next  region  to  be  considered  is  the  Webb- 
Lualaba  section,  which  embraces  the  greater  part  of  54 
square  degrees,  included  between  28°  N.  lat.  and  S.  lat. 
12°  30',  and  between  E.  long.  25°  20'  and  E.  long  30°. 
The  superficial  measurement  of  the  area  amounts  to 
246,000  square  statute  miles.  The  course  of  the  great 
river  from  the  debouchure  of  the  Chambezi  into  Lake 
Bangweolo  down  to  the  last  Cataract  of  Stanley  Falls 
is  from  S.W.  to  N.W.  a  distance  of  1260  English  miles. 
Within  this  section  I  include — until  further  light  is 
thrown  upon  the  subject— Lake  Muta-Nzige,  not  the 
Lake  Albert  discovered  by  Sir  Samuel  Baker.  We  have 
voluminous  affluents  flowing  into  the  Webb-Lualaba, 
directly  west  of  the  lake  discovered  by  me  in  1876. 
They  require  drainage  area,  which,  if  we  exclude  Lake 
Muta-Nzige,  we  have  not  sufficient  space  to  supply  such 
large  rivers  as  the  Low-wa,  the  Ulindi,  and  Lira.  From 
native  accounts,  which,  though  extremely  unreliable, 
must,  in  the  absence  of  definite  information,  be  accepted, 


r 


THE  WEBB-L  UAL  ABA  COUNTRY.  359 

this  lake  may  be  estimated  to  cover  an  area  of  5400  The  Kernel 
square  miles.  Lake  Bangeolo,  according  to  Livingstone's  a  rgument. 
rough  survey,  is  of  the  superficial  extent  of  10,200 
square  miles.  Lake  Mweru,  according  to  the  same 
authority,  covers  an  area  of  2700  square  miles.  Lake 
Kassali  and  its  chain  of  lakelets  cover  altogether  an 
area  of  2200  square  miles. 

Beyond  the  Stanley  Falls  the  Webb-Lualaba  is  navi- 
gable to  within  six  miles  from  Nyangwe,  a  length  of 
327  miles.  On  the  right  as  we  ascend,  the  first  affluent 
met  is  the  Le'opold  River,  which  may  be  ascended 
thirty  miles ;  the  next  is  the  Low-wa  River,  an  affluent 
of  the  first  class,  which  is  formed  a  few  miles  up  by  the 
junction  of  two  streams.  South  of  the  Low-wa  about 
fifteen  miles  we  meet  the  Ulindi — which  we  ascended 
in  1877  a  few  miles— a  river  with  a  breadth  of 
400  yards  at  the  mouth.  About  ninety  miles  further 
south  we  see  the  Lira  emptying  into  the  Webb-Lualaba, 
300  yards  wide,  a  deep  and  clear  stream.  A  little 
north  of  S.  latitude  5°  we  come  to  the  Luama,  a  stream 
which  has  a  knowrn  course  of  250  miles.  Forty  miles 
further  south  is  the  Luigi,  of  half  that  length,  and 
thirty  miles  beyond  the  Luigi  is  the  Luindi,  or  Lukuga, 
which  is  the  outlet  of  Lake  Tanganika. 

Commencing  again  from  the  Baswa  cataract,  the 
uppermost  of  the  Stanley  Falls  series,  the  first  on  the 
left  bank  we  meet  is  the  small  Black  River,  and  the 
next  from  the  bend,  which  I  supposed  was  the  Lumami, 
but  which,  the  Arabs  inform  me,  is  the  Lufu,  a  stream 
similar  to  the  Kasuku,  emptying  at  S.  lat.  4°  into  the 


3(30 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  Webb-Lualaba.    The  next  great  river  flowing  into  this 

of  the 

Argument,  section  of  the  river  is  the  Lacustrine  Kamolondo. 

The  Webb-Lualaba  section,  out  of  its  aggregate 
length  of  main  river  and  larger  tributaries,  which 
amount  to  5000  miles,  may  be  divided  into  two  navi- 
gable sections  of  550  miles  each  ;  the  first  included 
between  the  Baswa  Falls  and  Nyangwe  Falls,  and  the 
second  between  the  Kasongo  Falls  and  the  rapids 
below  Mweru  Lake. 

This  region,  mainly  along  the  river  banks  and  in  a 
vast  part  of  its  interior,  has  been  subjected  to  the  dete- 
riorative influence  of  slave-raiding  for  the  last  twenty 
years.  Whatever  its  population  may  have  been  before 
the  desolating  system  of  capturing  communities  of  people 
by  the  slaughter  of  the  males,  it  would  not  be  safe  to 
estimate  more  than  twenty  souls  to  the  square  mile,  by 
which  we  have  a  population  of  nearly  6,000,000. 

The  principal  tribes  in  that  region  are  the  Bakumu, 
Balegga,  Banyema,  Bakonde,  Bagenya,  Barua,  Bakuss, 
Bamarungu,  and  Balunda. 

On  the  lower  navigable  section  of  the  Webb-Lualaba 
there  are  four  trading  communities  of  Arabs  and  their 
slaves  established  at  Kasongo,  Nyangwe,  Yibondo,  and 
Wane  Kirundu.  To  the  commercial  trader  from  the 
west  coast  these  communities  are  easily  accessible,  and 
would  be  valuable  auxiliaries  to  the  extension  of  trade 
over  the  region ;  inasmuch  as  they  have  hosts  of  disci- 
plined slaves,  hundreds  of  whom  have  been  educated 
during  the  last  twenty  years  in  the  art  and  practice  of 
trading.    The  tastes  of  these  people  would  be  superior, 


ARAB  TRADING  COMMUNITIES. 


361 


naturally,  to  that  of  the  aborigines.  Through  their 
assistance,  the  cattle  of  Usige,  Ruanda,  Urundi,  and  Argument. 
Ujiji  might  be  brought,  in  a  few  weeks'  march,  to  the 
Lualaba;  also  the  cattle  of  Nyangwe',  which  have 
increased  at  last  accounts  to  respectable  herds,  prov- 
ing that  there  is  nothing  fatal  to  their  growth  and 
successful  propagation  in  the  valley  of  the  Congo. 

The  natural  productions  of  the  land  are  similar  to 
those  enumerated  as  belonging  to  the  Upper  Congo 
section. 

The  next  section  for  consideration  is  that  of  the 
Cbambezi,  having  a  superficial  area  of  46,000  square 
miles.  It  is  drained  entirely  by  the  Chambezi  and  its 
tributaries,  which  are  the  headquarters  of  the  Congo. 
It  lies  in  a  basin  elevated  about  3800  feet  above  the  sea, 
walled  around  by  the  Losanswe  range  of  mountains 
on  the  north,  and  to  the  south  and  east  by  the  Lokinga 
mountains,  or  plateau  wall  of  Bisa,  and  the  Chibale' 
range. 

The  river  is  described  by  Livingstone  to  be  400 
yards  wide  at  the  place  of  his  crossing,  with  a  clear 
current  of  two  knots  and  a  depth  of  three  fathoms. 
One  of  its  affluents,  the  Lubansenzi,  is  described  as 
being  300  yards  wide,  and  three  fathoms  deep.  The 
Lokulu  is  described  as  being  a  still  larger  affluent. 

A  few  quotations  from  Livingstone's  own  words  will 
give  a  better  idea  of  the  country  than  can  be  gathered 
in  any  other  manner. 

"  Immense  swampy  plains  all  around  except  at  Kabende." 

•'The  water  in  the  country  is  exceedingly  large;  plains  extending 


362 


THE  CONGO. 


Tho  Kernel  farther  than  the  eye  can  reach  have  4  or  5  feet  of  clear  water,  and  the 

of  the     adjacent  lands  for  20  or  30  miles  are  level." 
Argument. 

f<  We  went  through  papyrus,  tall  rushes,  arums,  and  grass  till  tired 
out.  We  were  lost  in  stiff  grassy  prairies  from  3  to  4  feet  in  water  for 
five  hours." 

"The  country  is  all  so  very  flat  that  the  rivers  down  here  are  of 
necessity  tortuous.  Fish  and  other  food  abundant,  and  the  people  civil 
and  reasonable." 

"  One  sees  interminable  grassy  prairies  with  lines  of  trees  occupying 
quarters  of  miles  in  breadth,  and  these  give  way  to  plain  again.  The 
plain  is  flooded  annually  ;  but  its  vegetation  coDsists  of  grasses." 

From  the  above  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  basin 
of  the  Charnbezi  is  principally  a  level  country  like 
prairie  land  sloping  very  gradually  on  all  sides  to  the 
Bangweolo  Lake,  and  during  the  rainy  season  inun- 
dated in  its  lower  depressions,  especially  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  lake.  Midway  of  its  course,  however,  the  country 
rises  in  beautiful  gradations  of  undulating  pasture 
land,  on  which  browse  the  cattle  herds  of  the  Babisa, 
as  far  as  the  foot  of  the  Mambwe  plateau,  on  the 
north-east,  and  the  Chibale  mountain  chain  east,  the 
latter  being  7,000  feet  high. 

The  population  of  this  region  cannot  he  estimated 
at  more  than  ten  to  the  square  mile,  which  would  give 
460,000  souls  to  the  territory. 

The  remaining  section  of  the  Congo  basin  to  be 
described  is  the  Tanganika  territory,  which  covers 
a  superficial  area  of  93,000  square  miles,  of  which  the 
lake  itself  being  391  English  miles  in  length,  with  an 
average  breadth  of  twenty-four  miles,  absorbs  9400 
square  miles. 

In  some  portions  of  this  section  the  population  is 
dense  ;  as  for  instance,  in  Usige,  Urundi,  Uhha,  Eastern 


THE  TANGANIKA  TERRITORY. 


363 


Itawa,  Ujiji,  and  some  portions  of  Umyamwezi ;  in  Th^f^nel 
others,  again,  as  in  Kawendi,  Marungu,  Ufipa,  it  is  but  Argument- 
thinly  populated.    By  a  moderate  estimate,  it  would 
be  twenty-five  to  the  square  mile,  making  a  population 
for  the  entire  basin  of  2,325,000. 

The  surface  of  the  lake  is  at  an  altitude  of  2750 
feet  above  the  sea.  On  the  north-west  it  is  bounded 
by  mountains  rising  2500  feet  higher,  to  the  south- 
west by  heights  ranging  from  1500  to  2000  feet. 
Along  the  east  the  average  height  of  the  table  land  is 
1500  feet  above  the  lake  ;  on  the  north  is  a  broad, 
funnel-shaped  valley  leading  to  the  lofty  uplands  of 
Ruanda. 

On  one  half  of  this  territory  cattle  are  bred  in 
numerous  herds.  The  Warundi,  Wahha,  Wazige',  and 
Wanya-Ruanda,  a  very  superior  race  of  people,  could 
not  exist  without  their  cattle.  The  Wajiji  and  Wan- 
yam  wezi,  who  are  allied  to  them,  also  affect  a  pastoral 
life,  while  they  do  not  neglect  the  production  of 
cereals,  sorghum,  millet,  maize.  At  Ujiji,  Uvira,  and 
Uzige,  are  trading  communities  of  Arabs ;  on  the  west 
side  of  Tanganika  is  a  London  Missionary  station. 
About  midway  on  the  east  is  a  station  of  the  African 
International  Association. 

At  Ujiji  ends  the  oil-palm,  the  other  productions 
of  the  land  being  similar  to  the  Upper  Congo  section. 
On  the  eastern  portion  of  the  basin  cereals  form  the 
staple  food  of  the  inhabitants,  while  on  its  western 
portion  the  principal  food  consists  of  bananas  and 
cassava. 


364 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel     At  the  markets  of  Uiiji  may  be  seen  a  number  of 

of  the  m  .  . 

Argument.  tl)e  principal  products  for  sale — ivory,  maize,  sesame, 
millet,  beans,  ground  nuts,  sugar-cane,  chilies,  wild 
fruit,  palm-oil,  bananas,  plaintains,  honey,  goats,  sheep, 
cattle,  fowls,  fish,  tobacco,  fish-nets,  copper  wristlets, 
iron  wire,  bark  cloth,  bows  and  arrows,  hoes,  spears, 
slaves,  &c. 

At  Uvira,  on  the  north-west  side,  are  great  smelting 
works,  and  manufactures  of  iron  wire  and  ware.  At 
Usanzi,  a  little  south,  the  best  tobacco  is  raised  ;  in 
Ukawendi  the  largest  store  of  honey  and  wax  is  to  be 
found ;  from  Urungu  to  Mambvve  the  finest  ivory 
arrives  ;  from  Marungu  the  largest  number  of  slaves 
are  brought ;  Urundi  and  Uhha  supply  the  largest 
number  of  cattle  ;  while  Ujiji  supplies  goats  and 
sheep. 

The  following  table  will  present  in  a  compact  form 
the  state  of  our  actual  knowledge  of  the  Congo 
basin  : — 


Sections. 

Area  in 
Square 
miles. 

Population 

per 
Square  mile. 

Number  of 
Population. 

Length 

of 
Naviga- 
tion. 

Area  of 

Name  of  Lake,  £ake. 

Square 
miles 

Lower  Congo  . 
Upper  Congo 

Lualaba 

Chambezi,  withi 
Bangweolo  .J 

Tanganika  . 

33,000 
1,090,000 

246,000 

46,000 
93,000 

About  9 
40 

20 

10 

25 

297,000 
43,884,000 

4,920,000 

460,000 
2,325,000 

noj 

5,250| 

i,iooj 

40o| 
391 

Leopold  11.  950 
Mantumba.  400 
Bangweolo.  10,200 
Mweru  .     .  2,700 
Kassula  and  j 

chain    of  }2,200 

Lakelets  .  j 
Tanganika.  9,400 
Mutu  Nzige  5,400 

Kuta  Kebir  444 
31,634 

I,508,0(i0 

Average  34 

51,886,000 

7,251 

The  subjoined  form  will  illustrate  how  the  Congo 


POLITICAL  BOUNDARIES.  365 

basin  is  at  present  divided,  according  to  the  Berlin  The  Kernel 

1  '  °  of  the 

Conference : —  Argument. 




Divisional  Areas. 

Population. 

Total  area  of  Congo  basin — 

French  territory  .... 

62,400 

2,121,600 

Portuguese  territory  .  . 

30,700 

276,300 

349,700 

6,910,000 

Free  State  of  the  Congo  . 

1,065,200 

42,608,000 

1,508,000 

51,886,000. 

■■  UNCLAIMED                        W?MM  PORTUGUESE  I  I  FRENCH 

■■■TERRITORY   I    TERRITORY  Efillll  TERRITORY 

POLITICAL  DIVISIONS  OF  THE  CONGO  BASIN. 


The  above  is  a  concise  description  of  the  basin, 
about  the  resources  of  which  I  lectured  about  fifty 
times  in  the  larger  cities  of  France  and  England  in 
1878.    More  minute  exploration,  and  more  intimate 


366 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  knowledge  of  the  peoples  during  my  six  years  later 
Argument,  intercourse  with  them  have  but  intensified  my  con- 
victions. 

The  clever  practical  people  of  Manchester  ask  me, 
"  And  what  can  the  natives  give  us  in  exchange  for 
our  cloth  ?  " 

I  answer,  that  the  trade  of  West  Africa  amounted 
to  £32,000,000  last  year,  out  of  which  there  were 
probably  about  £17,000,000  exports,  which  sailing 
ships  and  steamers  were  able  to  carry  away  to  Europe 
from  a  line  of  sea  coast  only  2900  miles  long.  I 
have  shown,  after  due  care  for  exactitude  obtained 
after  some  four  hundred  astronomical  observations, 
patient  exploration,  personal  investigation,  bold  essays 
into  as  yet  wild  regions  with  our  small  steamers,  as- 
siduous questioning  of  native  navigators,  that  there  are 
5250  statute  miles  of  uninterrupted  navigable  water, 
which  may  by  overcoming  a  little  trouble  at  one 
rapid  be  increased  to  (3000  miles  in  the  Upper  Congo 
section  of  the  Congo  basin. 

The  area  through  which  these  navigable  channels 
flow  is  over  1,000,000  square  miles  superficial  extent, 
and  is  throughout  a  fertile  region  unsurpassed  for 
the  variety  of  its  natural  productions.  It  is  peopled 
by  about  43,000,000  of  native  Africans,  whom,  from 
our  experience  among  1T000,000  of  them,  lead  us  to 
believe  will  prove  as  amenable  to  reason  and  prudent 
treatment  as  any  natives  we  have  encountered.  As 
we  have  ascertained  that  along  2030  miles  of  river 
banks  there  dwell  806,300,  we  may  estimate  then  that 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  TRADE.  367 

The  Kernel 

4,483,000  souls  inhabit  the  two  banks  of  the  navigable  Argument, 
mileage  of  6000  miles,  or  12,000  miles  of  river  shore. 

These  12,000  miles  of  Congo  banks  excel  in  quality 
the  sea  shore.  In  this  book,  I  speak  of  having 
found  oil-palms  and  rubber  creepers,  the  dyeing 
powder  of  the  red-wood  and  of  the  orchilla-weed,  ot 
copal  deposits,  and  forests  of  gum-producing  trees 
at  every  place  I  visited ;  I  speak  of  eager  native 
traders  following  us  for  miles  for  the  smallest  piece 
of  cloth.  I  mention  that  after  travelling  many 
miles  to  obtain  cloth  for  ivory  and  red- wood  powder, 
the  despairing  natives  asked,  "  Well,  what  is  it  you 
do  want?    Tell  us,  and  we  will  get  it  for  you." 

On  venturing  before  that  body  of  practical,  sober, 
intelligent  men  incorporated  into  a  Manchester 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  I  am  confronted  with  the 
singular  question,  "  What  can  the  natives  give  us 
in  exchange  for  our  cloth?"  For  a  first  answer  I 
append  the  following  list  of  produce  from  the  Congo. 

If  sailing  ships  and  steamers  can  be  sent  to  the 
Upper  Congo  basin  by  the  Manchester  people,  they 
will  obtain  three  times  at  least  more  of  West  African 
produce  than  they  obtain  from  the  whole  of  the  West 
African  coast,  extending  from  the  Gambia  to  St. 
Paul  de  Loanda,  or  £50,000,000  worth  of  produce. 
Since  they  cannot  send  either  sailing  or  steam  vessels, 
they  must  build  two  sections  of  narrow-gauge  rail- 
way respectively  fifty-two  and  ninety-five  miles  in 
length,  connected  by  steamboat  navigation,  or  a 
connected   railway  235  miles   long,  and   they  will 


368 


THE  CONGO. 


The  K.inei  obtain  as  much  produce  as  such  a  railway  can  con- 

ofthe  r      _  J 

Argument.  vev?  from  their  trading  agents  on  the  Upper  Congo, 
who  will  collect  it  from  over  a  million  native  Africans, 
who  are  waiting  to  be  told  what  further  produce  is 
needed  beyond  ivory,  palm-oil,  palm  kernels,  ground- 
nuts, gum-copal,  orchilla-weed,  camwood,  cola-nuts, 
gum  tragacanth,  myrrh,  frankincense,  furs,  skins, 
hides,  feathers,  copper,  india-rubber,  fibre  of  grasses, 
beeswax,  bark-cloth,  nutmeg,  ginger,  castor-oil  nuts,  &c. 


Memorandum  from  Hutton  &  Co.,  The  Temple,  Dale  Street, 
Liverpool,  12th  March,  1885. 

Value  of  African  Produce  in  Liverpool. 


Palm  oil  (Congo) . 

„    kernels  „  . 
Ground-nuts,  shelled 

„        in  the  shell 
Copra  . 
India  rubber  . 
Ivory  teeth 

„  scrivelloes 
Barwood  . 
Camwood  . 
Ebony  . 

Coffee,  small  berry 
„     large  „ 

Cotton  .... 
„  seed 

Bermiseed .    .  . 

Gum  copal,  red  Angola 
„         white  Loanda 
„         Sierra  Leone 

Guinea  grains 

Chillies  . 

Ginger  . 

Castor  seed 

Croton  „ 

Beeswax  . 

Orchilla  weed,  Angola  £1 


£  *. 
23  5 
12  5 
14  10 
12  0 
16  0 
Is.  4d.  to  2 
£45  to  60  0 
£25  „  45 
.    .  3 
£21  to  23 


0 
10 
0 


£6  „  14  10 


£1  5s 


£ 

17s.  U 


to 


to 


10 
12 

0 
10 

5 
15 
15 

0 

0  19 
2  10 


d. 

0  per  ton. 
0  „ 
0  „ 
0  „ 

0  „ 

1  per  lb. 
0  per  cwt. 
0  „ 

0  per  ton. 
0  „ 

o  ,; 

0  per  cwt. 
0  „ 
5}  per  lb. 
0  per  ton. 
0  per  384  lbs. 
0  per  cwt. 
0  „ 
6  j  per  lb. 
0  per  cwt. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 


AFRICAN  PRODUCE  IN  LIVERPOOL. 


369 


£.  s.  d. 


The  Kernel 

of  the 
Argument. 


Kola  nuts  (fresli^  

Eattan  canes   

Porcupine  quills  

Monkey  skins  

Calabar  beans  

Morse  teeth  ....... 

Adansonia,  or  Baobab  bark  or  fibre 


11  0  0  per  torn 
0  7  0  per  cwt. 
0  10   0  „ 


10   0  per  cwt. 
8   0    0  per  tor. 
0  14   0  per  1000. 
0    10  apiece. 
0   0   4  per  lb. 
0   2   0  „ 


(Candle-berry)  .)Nom.nal 
ed     ....  J 


Ground  Nuts,  decorticated  or  shelled,  come  from  the  Congo;  unshelled 
from  Gambia,  Senegal,  and  the  rivers  north  of  Sierra  Leone. 

Coprah,  or  Copra,  comes  from  different  parts  of  the  coast ;  it  is  the  sun- 
dried  flesh  of  the  cocoanut. 

India- Rubber. — The  best  and  cleanest,  worth  210s.  per  cwt.,  comes  from 
the  Congo,  and  is  called  "  thimble." 

Ivory. — The  dearest  is  the  greenish  Gaboon;  large  teeth  fetch  £60  per 
cwt.  and  upwards ;  Angola  large  teeth  fetch  £55  to  £60. 

Bermiseed  is  a  seed  like  the  Gingelly  seed. 

Guinea  Grains  are  used  for  adulterating  beer. 

Kola  Nuts. — Only  saleable  when  fresh  ;  our  sample  is  dried  up ;  they 
come  red  and  white. 

Calabar  Beans  were  worth  2s.  (jd.  per  lb.  a  few  years  ago ;  they  only 
fetch  3c?.  to  id.  per  lb.  now,  having  been  imported  too  plentifully ; 
they  are  used  for  pharmaceutical  purposes. 

Baobab,  or  Adansonia  Fibre,  used  for  paper-making,  is  imported  prin- 
cipally from  the  Congo  and  south-west  coast. 

Oil  Nuts  are  little  imported ;  they  are  of  the  size  of  pigeons'  eggs,  and 
contain  some  oil. 

Egusi  Seed,  little  known,  contains  oil ;  is  imported  now  and  then  ; 

resembles  melon  seed. 
Ebony. — Imported  from  Old  Calabar,  worth  £6  to  £6  17s.  6c?.  per  ton; 

imported  from  Gaboon,  it  is  worth  £7  to  £14  10s.,  according  to  size  of 

pieces. 

By  the  very  simplicity  of  the  question  of  the 
Manchester  merchants,  it  is  evident  they  require 
very  simple  answers.  For  the  benefit  of  these  as 
well  as  for  others,  I  submit  the  following  exceedingly 
simple  method  of  replying. 

Supposing  a  few  factories  were  established  on  the 
Upper  Congo,  a  few  at  Isangila,  and  a  few  at  Man- 


Yol.  II.— 24 


370 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  yanga,  and  judging  from  what  is  being  done  on  the 
Argument.  Lower  Congo,  the  following  produce  was  shipped  : — 


Factories  where  Stationed. 

Produce. 

Gross  Value. 

Weight. 

lsangila     .    .  -  . 
Manyanga  .... 
lsangila  and  Manyanga 
Stanley  Tool,  &c.  . 

Upper  Congo  .    .  . 
)>  ... 
a  ... 

Lake  Leopold  II.  and( 
Mantumba  .    .    . } 
Kwa  Mouth     .    .  . 

Ground  nuts 

s>            •  • 
Palm-oil .... 
Orehilla-weed  . 
Ivory  .... 
Hippo  teeth . 
Rubber  .... 
Skins  .... 
Palm-oil  .... 
Beeswax  .... 
Copal-gum  .  . 

Camwood 

Sesanum  seed  . 

£ 

370~000 
870,000 
310,000 
450,000 
260,000 
11,200 
1,530,000 
20,000 
1,240,000 
5,000 
600,000 

480,000 

20,800 

Tons. 

25,000 
25,000 
10,000 
10,000 
232 
20 

10,000 
1,800 
40,000 
50 

10,000  . 
20,000 
4,000 

5,667,000 

156,102 

The  tonnage  thus  adduced  by  the  above  estimate 
would  be  equal  to  427 J  tons  per  day,  which  would 
task  the  resources  of  such  a  railway.  At  one  penny 
per  ton  per  mile  freight,  the  gross  revenue  of  the 
railway  would  be  equal  to  £152,000,  and  if  we  esti- 
mate the  revenue  derived  from  the  freight  of  goods 
going  into  the  interior  for  commerce,  State,  and 
missions,  we  may  well  conceive  that  the  aggregate  for 
up  and  down  freight  would  amount  to  £300,000  per 
annum,  exclusive  of  passengers. 

From  Yivi  to  lsangila  is  a  distance  of  fifty-two 
miles,  and  such  a  railway  as  wTould  be  required  for 
this  section  at  the  cost  of  £4000  per  mile,  would 
require  a  capital  of  £210,000.  Four  steamers  at 
£5000  each  would  connect  lsangila  with  Manyanga, 
which  secures  00,000  tons  of  ground-nuts  and  palm- 


ESTIMATE  OF  PROBABLE  EXPORTS. 


371 


oil,  the  gross  value  of  which  is  £1,050,000.  Of  ivory  The  Kernel 
and  rubber,  £300,000  might  easily  be  bought,  because  Argument, 
the  great  depot  of  trade  would  then  be  at  the  ter-. 
minus — Manyanga — and  the  service  of  the  800  carriers 
now  conveying  goods  between  Yivi  and  Stanley  Pool 
(235  miles),  would  be  utilised  in  carrying  produce 
between  the  Pool  and  Manyanga,  ninety-five  miles. 

The  aggregate  revenue  of  the  up  and  down  traffic 
from  commerce,  State,  and  missions,  exclusive  of 
passengers,  would  be  about  £120,000,  for  an  outlay 
of  £230,000. 

The  fuel  would  be  obtained  at  the  Bundi,  and 
Ngoma  forests,  through  which  the  line  of  railway 
would  run.  It  would  of  course  be  a  surface  railway, 
the  extraordinary  outlay  being  only  for  a  few  bridges. 

Were  the  railway  to  be  direct  from  Yivi  to  Stanley 
Pool,  the  distance  being  only  235  miles,  the  expense  of 
construction  at  £4000  per  mile  would  only  amount 
to  £940,000.  The  gross  revenue  of  £300,000  per 
annum  for  such  an  outlay  is  surely  large !  Once 
such  a  railway  is  constructed  a  million  square  miles 
must  contribute  to  its  support.  The  trade  by  5200 
miles  of  uninterrupted  river  navigation  flowing 
through  it  would  chiefly  consist  of  heavy  produce  in 
exchange  for  as  bulky  goods,  cotton  goods,  beads, 
muskets,  gunpowder,  cutlery,  china,  and  iron  ware, 
inasmuch  as  bullion,  cheques,  bank-notes  are  useless 
in  the  Congo  basin. 

As  a  mere  speculation  there  is  nothing  in  the 
whole  wide  world  offering   so  remunerative  an  in- 


'312 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  vestment  of  capital  as  this  small  railway.  Animals 

of  the 

Argument,  of  all  kinds,  and  human  carriers  have  been  tested, 
and  have  proved  to  be  failures ;  the  cataracts  are 
impassable ;  aerial  navigation,  unfortunately,  cannot 
compete  with  the  railway  as  yet,  and  until  that  time 
arrives  every  article  that  a  mortal  man  needs  must  pay 
toll  of  freight  to  this  iron  road. 

To-day  £52,000  are  paid  per  annum  for  porterage 
between  Stanley  Pool  and  the  coast,  by  native  traders, 
the  International  Association,  and  three  Missions, 
which  is  equal  to  5|  per  cent,  on  the  £940,000  said  to 
be  needed  to  construct  the  railway  to  the  Pool.  But  let 
the  Vi'vi  and  Stanley  Pool  railroad  be  constructed,  and 
it  would  require  an  army  of  Grenadiers  to  prevent  the 
traders  from  moving  on  to  secure  the  favourite  places 
in  the  commercial  El  Dorado  of  Africa. 

The  equatorial  regions  of  Africa  have  for  ages  defied 
Islamism,  Christianity,  science,  and  trade.  Like  the 
waves  beating  on  a  rocky  shore,  so  Islamism  has  dashed 
itself  repeatedly  from  the  north  in  its  frantic  effort  to 
reach  the  line  of  the  Equator.  Christianity  has  also 
made  ineffectual  attempts  for  the  last  three  centuries 
to  obtain  a  footing  in  the  same  region,  but  ignorance  of 
the  climate  caused  its  retirement.  Science  has  directed 
strategic  assaults  upon  the  closely-besieged  area,  and 
has  succeeded  in  retiring  with  brilliant  results ;  its 
success,  however,  has  been  only  temporary,  as  Trade 
which  ought  to  have  followed  stood  dazed  with  the 
difficulties  which  the  pioneers  encountered. 

Thus  the  equatorial  region,  which  offers  such  large 


AFRICA  RECLAIM  ABLE. 


373 


prospects  to  the  enterprising,  Las  been  left  to  stew  i  n  Tha  Kernel 

.    .  P    .  .    .,.       .  .  of  the 

its  own  juice  or  fatness.  Civilisation,  so  often  baffled,  Argument, 
stands  railing  at  the  barbarism  and  savagery  that 
presents  such  an  impenetrable  front  to  its  efforts.  It 
feigns  to  forget  by  what  process  England,  Gaul,  and 
Belga3  were  redeemed  from  barbarism ;  and  because 
at  this  late  hour  there  still  emerges  into  light  the  great 
heart  of  Africa  with  its  countless  millions  without  the 
slightest  veneer  of  artificialism  over  man's  natural  state, 
it  thoughtlessly  exclaims  that  the  African  savages  are 
irreclaimable.  How  is  it  possible  that  these  natives  of 
Africa,  whose  bonds  have  been  fixed  in  such  an  inac- 
cessible area,  could  have  been  otherwise  ?  No  people 
that  we  have  any  record  of  have  ever  risen  out  of  the 
slough  of  barbarism  without  external  help.  Europe  has 
been  compounded  out  of  the  relics  of  many  nations  and 
tribes — Celts,  Huns,  Goths,  Vandals,  Greeks,  Romans, 
Franks,  Saxons,  Normans,  Saracens,  Turks,  who  have 
become  involved  with  one  another  a  thousand  times  in 
commotions  and  contentions  during  many  centuries. 
It  is  out  of  the  fragments  of  warring  myriads  that  the 
present  polished  nations  of  Europe  have  sprung.  Had 
a  few  of  those  waves  of  races  flowing  and  eddying  over 
Northern  Africa  succeeded  in  leaping  the  barrier  of  the 
Equator,  we  should  have  found  the  black  aboriginal 
races  of  Southern  Africa  very  different  from  the  savages 
we  meet  to-day. 

But  until  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  world  was  ignorant  of  what  lay  beyond  the  rapids 
of  Isangila,  or  how  slight  was  the  obstacle  which  lay 


874 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  between  civilisation  and  the  broad  natural  highway 
Argument,  which  cleaved  the  dark  virgin  regions  of  Africa  into 
two  equal  halves,  and  how  Nature  had  formed  a 
hundred  other  navigable  channels  by  which  access 
could  be  gained  to  this  her  latest  gift  to  mankind. 
As  a  unit  of  that  mankind  for  which  nature  reserved 
it,  I  rejoice  that  so  large  an  area  of  the  earth  still  lies 
to  be  developed  by  the  coming  races ;  I  rejoice  to 
find  that  it  is  not  only  high  in  value,  but  that  it 
excels  all  other  known  lands  for  the  number  and  rare 
variety  of  precious  gifts  with  which  nature  has 
endowed  it. 

Let  us  take  North  America  for  instance,  and  the 
richest  portion  of  it,  viz.,  the  Mississippi  basin,  to 
compare  with  the  Congo  basin,  previous  to  its  develop- 
ment by  that  mixture  of  races  called  modern  Americans. 
When  De  Soto  navigated  the  Father  of  waters,  and  the 
Indians  were  undisputed  masters  of  the  ample  river- 
basin,  the  spirit  of  enterprise  would  have  found  in  the 
natural  productions  some  furs  and  timber. 

The  Congo  basin  is,  however,  much  more  promising 
at  the  same  stage  of  undevelopment.  The  forests  on  the 
banks  of  the  Congo  are  filled  with  precious  redwood, 
lignum  vitas,  mahogany,  and  fragrant  gum-trees.  At 
their  base  may  be  found  inexhaustible  quantities  of 
fossil  gum,  with  which  the  carriages  and  furnitures  of 
civilised  countries  are  varnished ;  their  boles  exude 
myrrh  and  frankincense ;  their  foliage  is  draped  with 
orchilia-weed,  useful  for  dye.  The  redwood  when  cut 
down,  chipped  and  rasped,  produces  a  deep  crimson 


DEVELOPING  THE  COUNTRY'S  RESOURCES.  375 


powder,  giving  a  valuable  colouring;  the  creepers  The  Kernel 
which  hang  in  festoons  from  tree  to  tree  are  generally  Argument, 
those  from  which  india-rubber  is  produced  (the  best 
of  which  is  worth  2s.  per  lb.)  ;  the  nuts  of  the  oil  palm 
give  forth  a  butter,  a  staple  article  of  commerce  ;  while 
the  fibres  of  others  will  make  the  best  cordage.  Among 
the  wild  shrubs  are  frequently  found  the  cofTee-plant. 
In  its  plains,  jungle,  and  swamp,  luxuriate  the  ele- 
phants, whose  teeth  furnish  ivory  worth  from  9>s.  to  lis. 
per  lb. ;  its  waters  teem  with  numberless  herds  of  hip- 
popotamus, whose  tusks  are  also  valuable  ;  furs  of  the 
lion,  leopard,  monkey,  otter ;  hides  of  antelope,  buffalo, 
goat,  cattle,  &c,  may  also  be  obtained.  But  what  is  of 
far  more  value,  it  possesses  over  40,000,000  of  mode- 
rately-industrious and  workable  people,  which  the  Red 
Indians  never  were.  And  if  we  speak  of  prospective  ad- 
vantages and  benefits  to  be  derived  from  this  late  gift 
of  Nature,  they  are  not  much  inferior  in  number  or 
value  to  those  of  the  well-developed  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  copper  of  Lake  Superior  is  rivalled  by  that  of 
the  Kwilu-Niadi  Yalley,  and  of  Bembe'.  Rice,  cotton, 
tobacco,  maize,  coffee,  sugar,  and  wheat,  would  thrive 
equally  well  on  the  broad  plains  of  the  Congo.  This 
is  only  known  after  the  least  superficial  examination  of 
a  limited  line  which  is  not  much  over  50  miles  wide. 
I  have  heard  of  gold  and  silver,  but  this  statement 
requires  further  corroboration,  and  I  am  not  disposed 
to  touch  upon  what  I  do  not  personally  know. 

For  climate,  the  Mississippi  valley  is  superior,  but  a 
large  portion  of  the  Congo  basin  at  present  inaccessible 


376 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Kernel  to  the  immigrant  is  blessed  with  a  temperature  under 
Argument,  which  Europeans  may  thrive  and  multiply.  There 
is  no  portion  of  it  where  the  European  trader  may 
not  fix  his  residence  for  years,  and  develop  com- 
merce to  his  own  profit  with  as  little  risk  as  is  incurred 
in  India. 

It  is  specially  with  a  view  to  rouse  the  spirit  of  trade 
that  I  dilate  upon  the  advantages  possessed  by  the 
Congo  basin,  and  not  as  a  field  for  the  pauper  immi- 
grant. There  are  over  40,000,000  native  paupers  within 
the  area  described,  who  are  poor  and  degraded  already, 
merely  because  they  are  encompassed  round  about  by 
hostile  forces  of  nature  and  man,  denying  them  con- 
tact and  intercourse  with  the  elements  which  might 
have  ameliorated  the  unhappiness  of  their  condition. 
European  pauperism  planted  amongst  them  would  soon 
degenerate  to  the  low  level  of  aboriginal  degradation. 
It  is  the  cautious  trader  who  advances,  not  without 
the  means  of  retreat ;  the  enterprising  mercantile 
factor  who  with  one  hand  receives  the  raw  produce 
from  the  native,  in  exchange  for  the  finished  pro- 
duct of  the  manufacturers  loom — the  European  mid- 
dleman who  has  his  home  in  Europe  but  has  his  heart 
in  Africa  is  the  man  who  is  wanted.  These  are  they 
who  can  direct  and  teach  the  black  pauper  what  to 
gather  of  the  multitude  of  things  around  him  and  in 
his  neighbourhood.  They  are  the  missionaries  of  com- 
merce, adapted  for  nowhere  so  well  as  for  the  Congo 
basin,  where  are  so  many  idle  hands,  and  such  abun- 
dant opportunities  all  within  a  natural  ';  ring  fence." 


A   GOSPEL  OF  ENTERPRISE. 


377 


Those  entirely  weak-minded,  irresolute,  and  senile  people  The  Kerne 
who  profess  scepticism,  and  project  it  before  them  Argument, 
always  as  a  shield  to  hide  their  own  cowardice  from 
general  observation,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt 
to  interest  in  Africa,  Of  the  325,000,000  of  people  in 
civilised  Europe  there  must  be  some  surely  to  whom 
the  gospel  of  enterprise  preached  in  this  book  through 
the  medium  of  eight  languages  will  present  a  few 
items  of  fact  worthy  of  retention  in  the  memory,  and 
capable  of  inspiring  a  certain  amount  of  action.  I  am 
encouraged  in  this  belief  by  the  rapid  absorption  of 
several  ideas  which  I  have  industriously  promulgated 
during  the  last  few  years  respecting  the  Dark  Conti- 
nent. Pious  missionaries  have  set  forth  devotedly  to 
instil  into  the  dull  mindless  tribes  the  sacred  germs 
of  religion  ;  but  their  material  difficulties  are  so  great 
that  the  progress  they  have  made  bears  no  proportion 
to  the  courage  and  zeal  they  have  exhibited.  I  now 
turn  to  the  worldly  wise  traders,  for  whose  benefit  and 
convenience  a  railway  must  be  constructed. 


378 


TEE  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  BERLIN  CONFERENCE. 

Strengthening  the  fabric  —  Precedents  —  Treaties  -with  chiefs  :  their 
validity — The  Anglo- Portuguese  Treaty — United  States  action- 
Prince  Bismarck's  views -  Position  of  Great  Britain— German  and 
French  interests— Freedom  of  commerce — Berlin  Conference— List 
of  Plenipotentiaries — Deliberations  and  decisions  at  the  Conference — 
Acquisitions  of  France  and  Portugal— Free  Trade-  A  safe  juris- 
diction— The  Royal  Founder. 

The  Berlin  Xhe  building  of  the  Congo  State  may  be  likened  to 

Conference.  °  °  ^ 

the  construction  of  an  edifice.  We  of  the  expedition 
may  be  compared  to  the  labourers  clearing  the  ground, 
levelling  the  site,  reducing  the  approaches  into  order, 
digging  the  trenches,  laying  the  foundations,  and 
finally  building  up  the  walls  to  the  designed  height, 
while  Colonel  Strauch  and  Captain  Thys,  of  the 
Bureau  of  the  Association,  supplied  us  with  tools  and 
mortar.  But  the  edifice  in  such  a  condition  if  lone: 
exposed  to  the  elements  cannot  stand.  The  labourers, 
bricklayers,  and  stone-masons  must  retire,  and  the 
owner  must  apply  to  the  carpenters  and  slaters  to 
put  on  the  roof,  and  place  the  doors  and  windows  in 
their  places.  When  these  have  finished  their  parts, 
the  cabinet-makers  and  upholsterers  must  be  called  in 


STRENGTHENING  THE  FABRIC. 


379 


to  render  the  house  habitable.    The  Expedition  of  the  The  Berlin 

Conference. 

Upper  Congo  and  the  Bureau  had  now  performed  their 
duties,  but  the  Royal  Founder  of  the  State  was  com- 
pelled, in  order  to  insure  its  prosperity  and  continuity, 
as  the  work  advanced,  to  apply  to  the  various  Go- 
vernments of  Europe  and  America  for  recognition, 
and  for  security  and  peaceful  safeguard  of  its  frontiers, 
to  make  treaties  with  France  and  Portugal,  which 
would  delimit  the  boundaries,  and  arrange  with  all  of 
them  for  the  preservation  of  neutrality. 

The  precedents  of  the  English  Puritans  of  the  May- 
flower in  1620,  of  the  New  Hampshire  colonists  in 
1639,  of  the  East  India  Company,  Sarawak,  Liberia, 
and  Borneo  favoured  the  right  of  individuals  to  found 
and  establish  states  upon  the  cession  of  territory  with 
its  sovereignty  to  them  by  the  independent  sovereigns, 
chiefs,  rulers,  or  assemblies,  who  were  the  original 
owners  or  holders  of  it. 

The  Association  were  in  possession  of  treaties  made 
with  over  450  independent  African  chiefs,  whose  rights 
would  be  conceded  by  all  to  have  been  indisputable, 
since  they  held  their  lands  by  undisturbed  occupation, 
by  long  ages  of  succession,  by  real  divine  right.  Of 
their  own  free  will,  without  coercion,  but  for  substantial 
considerations,  reserving  only  a  few  easy  conditions, 
they  had  transferred  their  rights  of  sovereignty  and 
of  ownership  to  the  Association.  The  time  had  then 
arrived  when  a  sufficient  number  of  these  had  been 
made  to  connect  the  several  miniature  sovereignties 
into  one  concrete  whole,  to  present  itself  before  the 


380 


THE  CONGO. 


a  world  for  general  recognition  of  its  right  to  govern, 
and  hold  these  in  the  name  of  an  independent  state, 
lawfully  constituted  according  to  the  spirit  and  tenor 
of  international  law. 

The  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  with  the  United 
States,  in  their  Report  to  the  forty-eighth  Congress, 
say :  "  It  can  scarcely  be  denied  that  the  native  chiefs 
have  the  right  to  make  these  treaties.  The  able  and 
exhaustive  statements  of  Sir  Travers  Twiss,  the 
eminent  English  jurist,  and  of  Professor  Arntz,  the 
no  less  distinguished  Belgian  publicist,  leave  no  doubt 
upon  the  question  of  the  legal  capacity  of  the  African 
International  Association  in  view  of  the  law  of  nations 
to  accept  any  powers  belonging  to  these  native  chiefs 
and  governments  which  they  may  choose  to  delegate 
or  cede  to  them." 

"The  practical  question  to  which  they  give  an 
affirmative  answer,  for  reasons  which  appear  to  be 
indisputable,  is  this,  *  Can  independent  chiefs  of  savage 
tribes  cede  to  private  citizens  (persons)  the  whole  or 
part  of  their  States,  with  the  sovereign  rights  which 
pertain  to  them,  conformably  to  the  traditional  customs 
of  the  country  ?  ■  " 

u  The  doctrine  advanced  in  this  proposition,  and  so 
well  sustained  by  these  writers,  accords  with  that  held 
by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  that  the 
occupants  of  a  country,  at  the  time  of  its  discovery  by 
other  and  more  powerful  nations,  have  the  right  to 
make  the  treaties  for  its  disposal,  and  that  private 
persons  when  associated  in  such  country  for  self-pro- 


VALIDITY  OF  NATIVE  TREATIES. 


381 


tection,  or  self-government,  may  treat  with  the  inhabi-  The  Berlin 

Conference. 

tants  for  any  purpose  that  does  not  violate  the  laws 
of  nations." 

In  consequence  of  negotiations  entered  into  between 
the  British  and  Portuguese  Governments,  beginning 
November,  1882,  and  ending  February  25,  1884,  a 
treaty  was  finally  concluded,  by  which  the  whole  of  the 
south-west  African  coast,  between  S.  latitude  5°  12', 
and  S.  latitude  5°  18',  was  recognised  by  the  British 
Government  as  Portuguese  territory.  This  included 
the  Lower  Congo,  of  course,  by  which  the  territory 
of  the  Association  became  excluded  from  the  sea.  The 
treaty  was  signed  on  the  26th  of  February,  1884,  by 
Earl  Granville  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  and  by 
Senhor  Miguel  Martins  dAntas,  on  behalf  of  the 
Government  of  Portugal. 

Earl  Granville,  however,  declared,  previous  to  the 
signature  of  the  treaty,  that  the  acceptance  by  other 
Powers  of  the  Anglo-Portuguese  Treaty  was  indispens- 
able before  it  could  come  into  operation,  and  that  there 
was  reason  to  believe  that  this  acceptance  would  be 
refused,  which  would  necessarily  delay  the  ratification. 

Hitherto  this  territory  proposed  to  be  given  up  to 
Portugal,  so  far  as  Great  Britain  was  concerned,  bad 
been  regarded  as  neutral,  and  the  treaty,  thus  con- 
cluded, marked  a  radical  change  in  British  policy ;  for 
a  long  series  of  British  ministers  had,  during  over 
half  a  century,  peremptorily  declined  to  recognise  the 
Portuguese  claims. 

On  the  publication  of  the  Anglo-Portuguese  Treaty, 


382 


THE  CONGO. 


;i  the  European  powers,  especially  France  and  Germany, 
emphatically  protested  against  it,  and  in  England  men 
of  all  shades  of  politics  combined  to  denounce  it,  princi- 
pally through  a  fear  that  the  restrictions  imposed  upon 
trade  in  other  colonies  belonging  to  Portugal  would 
be  so  severe  as  to  render  commerce  impossible  in  the 
Congo  region. 

The  most  signal  protest  to  the  •  Anglo-Portuguese 
Treaty  was,  however,  from  the  United  States  of  America. 
One  of  the  faithful  coadjutors  of  the  Committee  of  the 
International  Association,  General  H.  S.  Sanford,  of 
Floiida,  formerly  United  States  Minister  to  Belgium, 
in  the  latter  part  of  1883,  had,  by  means  of  the  press 
and  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  authorities, 
succeeded  in  rousing  a  genuine  public  interest  in  the 
Congo  question.    The  American  people  had  evidently 
forgotten  that  it  was  through  the  philanthropy  of  their 
fellow  citizens  that  the  Free  States  of  Liberia  had  been 
founded  to  the  establishment  of  which  they  had  con- 
tributed $2,558,987  of  their  money  to  create  homes  and 
comforts  for  the  18,000  free  Africans  they  had  de- 
spatched to  settle  there.    This  state,  which  they  might 
regard  with  honest  pride,  had  now  an  area  of  14,300 
square  miles,  and  a  revenue  of  $100,000.    They  had 
seemingly  forgotten  also  that  it  was  to  .the  munificence 
of  one  of  their  fellow  citizens,  and  that  it  was  to  the 
discovery  and  rescue  of  Dr.  Livingstone  by  another  of 
their  fellow-citizens,  that  popular  attention  was  drawn 
to  Africa,  and  that  they  had  a  half  share  in  the  honour 
of  the  exploration  of  the  Congo  basin  which  had  now 


AMEBIC  A  AXD  THE  ASSOCIATION. 


383 


culminated  in  attracting  the  attention  of  the  world.  The  Berlin 

.  Conference. 

When  General  Sanford  reminded  his  countrymen  of 
these  facts,  and  held  out  to  them  a  prospect  in  re- 
building their  once  important  trade  in  West  Africa,  it 
was  not  difficult  then  to  induce  Congress  to  examine  the 
question  soberly,  and  after  a  patient  investigation  of 
every  fact  bearing  upon  it,  the  United  States  Senate,  on 
the  10th  of  April,  1884,  passed  a  resolution  authorising 
the  President  to  recognise  the  International  African 
Association  as  a  governing  power  on  the  Congo  River. 

The  recognition  of  the  United  States  was  the  birth 
unto  new  life  of  the  Association,  seriously  menaced  as 
its  existence  was  by  opposing  interests  and  ambitions ; 
and  the  following  of  this  example  by  the  European 
Powers  has  affirmed  and  secured  its  place  among 
Sovereign  States.  This  act,  the  result  of  the  well- 
considered  judgment  of  the  American  statesmen,  was 
greatly  criticised  abroad,  as  was  the  participation  of 
the  United  States  in  the  Berlin  Conference,  to  which 
it  directly  led  up,  by  the  press  of  America.  It  was 
an  act  well  worthy  of  the  Great  Republic,  not  only  as 
taking  the  lead  in  publicly  recognising  and  supporting 
the  great  work  of  African  civilisation  in  history,  and  in 
promoting  the  extension  of  commerce,  but  of  significant 
import,  in  view  of  its  interest  for  the  future  weal  of 
the  7,000,000  people  of  African  descent  within  its 
borders. 

The  British  Chambers  of  Commerce,  notably  those 
of  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  Glasgow,  resolutely 
opposed   the   treaty   concluded   with   Portugal,  but 


384 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  withal  the  strenuous  opposition  maintained  to  it  in 

Conference. 

commercial  circles  and  in  the  House  of  Commons,  had 
not  the  Roval  Founder  of  the  Association  obtained  the 
assistance  of  the  German  Chancellor  and  the  sympathies 
of  the  French  Government,  it  is  doubtful  whether  any- 
thing done  in  England  would  have  succeeded  in 
averting  the  effectual  seal  being  put  upon  enterprise 
in  the  Congo  basin  by  this  treaty.  Much  more  liberal 
terms  would  be  needed  to  tempt  commerce  within  its 
borders  than  any  provisions  that  the  treaty  contained. 
Some  such  arrangement  as  that  made  by  the  Congress 
of  Vienna  in  1815,  whereby  liberty  of  navigation  was 
proclaimed  to  the  great  rivers  of  Europe,  such  as  the 
Rhine  and  the  Danube,  would  be  necessary  ;  and  now 
that  an  Association  had  absorbed  unto  itself  hundreds 
of  petty  sovereignties  along  a  large  portion  of  it,  and 
France  had  proceeded  in  the  same  manner  to  absorb 
other  portions  of  the  Congo  banks,  while  Portugal 
pressed  her  claims  to  territories  washed  by  the  great 
African  river,  it  was  absolutely  and  imperatively  in- 
cumbent on  the  Powers  to  step  forward  and  impose 
such  obligations  on  the  riverain  Powers  as  would  not 
imperil  or  strangle  the  commerce  already  thriving  on 
the  banks  of  the  Lower  Con 2:0. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1884,  Prince  Bismarck  set 
forth  his  objections  to. the  Anglo-Portuguese  Treaty  to 
Count  Munster  as  follows  : — 

"  I  do  not  think  the  Treaty  has  any  chance  of  being  universally  recog- 
nised, even  with  the  modifications  which  are  therein  proposed  by  Her 
Majesty's  Government. 

"  We  are  not  prepared  to  admit  the  previous  rights  of  any  of  the 


BRITISH  EXPLORERS. 


385 


Powers  who  are  interested  in  the  Congo  trade  as  a  basis  for  the  negotia-  The  Berlin 
tions.    Trade  and  commerce  have  hitherto  been  free  to  all  alike,  without  Conference, 
restriction.    We  cannot  take  part  in  any  scheme  for  handing  over  the 
administration,  or  even  the  direction  of  their  arrangement,  to  Portuguese 
officials. 

"  In  the  interests  of  German  commerce,  therefore,  I  cannot  consent  that 
a  coast  of  such  importance,  which  has  hitherto  been  free  land,  should  be 
subjected  to  the  Portuguese  colonial  system." 

Hitherto  Britain  had  been  the  most  enterprising 
nation  in  African  fields  of  exploration  and  commerce. 
In  the  annals  of  exploration  of  the  Dark  Continent,  we 
look  in  vain  among  other  nationalities  for  a  name  such 
as  Livingstone's.  He  stands  pre-eminent  above  all ;  he 
unites  in  himself  all  the  best  qualities  of  other  ex- 
plorers, the  methodical  perseverance  of  Barth,  Moffat's 
philo-Africanism,  Rohlf's  enterprising  spirit,  Duvey- 
rier's  fondness  for  geographical  minutiae.  Barton's 
literal  accuracy,  Speke's  charming  simplicity  and 
seductive  bonhommie  with  the  aborigines ;  he  is  a  rare 
piece  of  human  mosaic,  a  real  glory  to  England.  But 
to  English  Burton,  Germany  can  show  Barth,  and 
France  Duveyrier;  and  to  Speke  the  first  can  show 
Rohlf,  and  the  latter  Bene  Caillie ;  to  Cameron 
Germany  can  oppose  Nachtigal ;  and  to  Baker,  Schwein- 
furtb,  thougli  two  greater  opposites  can  scarcely  be 
imagined;  and  France  can  also  boast  of  De  Compeigne 
and  De  Brazza.  But  Britain,  after  producing  Bruce, 
Park,  Clapperton,  Denham,  the  Landers,  excelled  her- 
self even  when  she  produced  the  strong  and  perse- 
verant  Scotchman,  Livingstone. 

In  West  African  trade  also  Great  Britain  stood 
almost  alone  at  one  time.    Macgregor  Lnird  exploited 
Vol.  IT.— 2-S 


386 


THE  CONGO. 


TheBerimthe  Niger  in  1841;  her  traders  were  busy  on  the 

Conference.  ,  .. 

Gambia,  on  the  Boquelle,  on  the  Gold  Coast,  at  Lagos 
in  the  oil  rivers,  at  Gaboon  and  Kabinda,  and  the 
Glasgow  and  Liverpool  and  Bristol  merchants  were 
represented  by  a  host  of  agents,  who  had  planted 
themselves  at  various  points  along  2,900  miles  of 
coast,  but  of  late  years,  through  the  apathy  of  English 
merchants,  Germany  by  her  enterprise  had  also  estab- 
lished herself  at  various  places,  and  great  houses  like 
that  of  Woerman's  were  looming  upward,  overtopping 
all  individual  English  firms,  which  could  number  their 
factories  by  dozens  and  their  agents  by  scores.  Ham- 
burg and  Bremen  were  outri vailing  Liverpool  and 
Glasgow.  Thus  Germany  had  solid  and  substantial 
reasons  for  watching  and  jealously  guarding  her  mer- 
cantile interests ;  and  France,  aided  by  the  energy  and 
talents  of  Monsieur  de  Brazza,  in  territories  beyond 
and  contiguous  to  the  Gaboon  colony,  naturally  wished 
to  establish  herself,  beyond  dispute,  in  the  districts 
acquired  by  the  devotion  and  intelligence  of  her 
agents. 

The  political  talents  of  the  German  Chancellor, 
Prince  Bismarck,  are  not  of  the  ordinary  standard. 
Those  who  profess  to  follow  the  beaten  paths  and 
prescribed  rules  of  diplomatic  art,  mere  obsolete 
principles  of  Machiavelli,  are  confused  by  the  con- 
sistent, direct,  coherent  sincerity  which  dictates  his 
policy,  and  lose  themselves  in  profound  speculations 
as  to  what  his  drift  is,  when  in  plain  literal  characters 
his  purpose  lies  written  in  legible   letters  and  inr 


PRINCE  BISMARCK. 


367 


tellicrible  lauffuaire.    German   savants   had   explored  The  Berlin 

fo  fo      fe  1  Conference. 

territories  unclaimed  by  any  Power  ;  German  merchants 
were  honestly  established  at  certain  places  on  the  West 
African  coast ;  out  of  the  most  intelligent  and  enter- 
prising of  the  sons  of  Germany  twenty-four  Geo- 
graphical Societies  had  been  formed,  and  a  dozen 
Colonial  Associations,  besides  African  societies,  were 
being  constituted  in  Germany.  Already  Bastian, 
Gussfeldt,  Peschuel  Loesche,  Buchner,  Von  Mechow, 
Pogge,  Weissman,  had  been  equipped  by  a  German 
African  Society,  and  it  was  preparing  to  despatch 
more.  These  facts  were  published  in  their  reviews 
and  magazines.  There  was  no  secrecy  in  the  move- 
ment ;  all  was  honest  and  above-board,  and  all  the 
world  was  told  of  the  modest  effort  Germany  was 
making  to  expand  its  colonial  strength. 

Like  the  great  statesman  he  is,  Prince  Bismarck  felt 
this  strong  throb  of  modern  German  life.  He  applied 
his  stethescope  to  listen  to  the  murmuring  and  latent 
passion  of  his  era,  and  having  discovered  it,  be  bent  his 
genius  to  create  a  sound  system  of  colonial  policy,  not 
rashly,  though  to  those  without  the  orbit  of  his  genius 
it  might  be  supposed  to  be  eccentric.  He  is  zealous 
in  all  he  undertakes,  he  seeks  advice  from  those 
competent  to  give  it.  This  is  his  eccentricity;  it  is 
unusual  for  statesmen  to  convene  a  number  of  experts 
to  consider  the  best  course  to  pursue.  The  Woerrnans 
and  the  Meyers  of  Hamburg  and  Bremen  were  sum- 
moned to  Varsin  to  see  the  Prince.  During  the  visit 
they  paid  him,  Prince  Bismarck,  through  his  receptive 


388 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  gifts,  imbibed  such  a  vast  amoimt  of  local  knowledge 

Conference.  • 

respecting  the  little  known  territories  of  West  Africa, 
that  I  venture  to  say  few  Foreign  Ministers  ever 
possessed. 

On   September    13th   Prince   Bismarck  writes  to 

Baron  de  Courcel,  French  Ambassador  at  Berlin — 

"  Like  France,  the  German  Government  will  observe  a  friendly  attitude 
towards  the  Belgian  enterprises  on  the  banks  of  the  Congo,  owing  to  the 
desire  entertained  by  the  two  Governments  to  secure  to  their  countrymen 
freedom  of  trade  throughout  the  whole  of  the  future  Congo  States,  and  in 
the  districts  which  France  holds  on  this  river,  and  which  she  proposes 
to  assimilate  to  the  liberal  system  which  that  State  is  expected  to  establish. 
These  advantages  will  continue  to  be  enjoyed  by  German  subjects,  and 
will  be  guaranteed  to  them  in  the  event  of  France  being  called  upon  to 
exercise  the  right  of  preference  accorded  by  the  King  of  the  Belgians  in 
the  contingency  of  the  acquisitions  made  by  the  Cod  go  Company  being 
alienated." 

It  should  be  observed  here  that  the  International 
Association,  after  the  publication  of  the  Anglo-Portu- 
guese Treaty,  and  perceiving  no  other  way  to  escape  the 
consequences  of  it,  had  signed  an  agreement,  to  which 
was  attached  a  map,  with  France,  fifty-seven  days  later, 
or  on  April  23rd,  the  text  of  which  is  as  follows  : — 

"  The  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  in  the  name  of  the  Free 
Stations  and  territories  which  it  has  established  on  the  Congo  and  in  the 
valley  of  the  Niadi-Kwilu,  formally  declares  that  it  will  not  cede  them 
to  any  Power  under  reserve  of  the  special  Conventions  which  might  be 
concluded  between  France  and  the  Association  with  a  view  to  settling 
the  limits  and  conditions  of  their  respective  action.  But  the  Association, 
wishing  to  afford  a  new  proof  of  its  friendly  feeling  towards  France, 
pledges  itself  to  give  her  the  right  of  preference,  if  through  any  unforeseen 
circumstances  the  Association  were  one  day  led  to  realise  its  possessions. 

(Signed)         "  Strauch." 

Mons.  Jules  Ferry,  President  of  the  Council,  re- 
plied in  terms  which  formally  pledged  France  to 
respect  the  territories  of  the  Association. 


FRANCE  AND  GERMANY. 


389 


Prince  Bismarck  continues —  Tho  Ber]ili 

Conference. 

"  The  exchange  of  views  which  I  have  had  the  honour  of  holding  with 
your  Excellency  proves  that  the  two  Governments  are  equally  desirous  of 
applying  to  the  navigation  of  the  Congo  and  the  Niger  the  principles 
adopted  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  with  a  view  to  assuring  the  freedom 
of  navigation  of  several  international  rivers,  and  subsequently  applied  to 
the  Danube.  In  order  to  secure  at  the  same  time  the  regular  development 
of  European  trade  in  Africa,  it  would  be  useful  to  arrive  at  an  agreement 
as  to  the  formalities  to  be  observed  with  a  view  to  new  occupations  on 
the  coasts  of  Africa  being  regarded  as  effective.  I  beg  that  your  Excellency 
will  have  the  goodness  to  propose  to  the  Government  of  the  Eepublic  that 
it  should  recognise  the  identity  of  our  views  on  these  points  by  means  of 
an  exchange  of  notes,  and  should  invite  the  other  Cabinets  interested  in 
African  commerce  to  pronounce  themselves  in  a  Conference  to  be  convoked 
to  this  intent  upon  the  stipulations  agreed  upon  between  the  two  Powers. 

(Signed)         "Von  Bismarck." 

The  French  Ambsssador,  Baron  de  Courcel,  in 
replying  to  this  communication,  states  that  he  has 
not  failed  to  convey  to  his  Government  Prince  Bis- 
marck's note,  which  in  substance  was  similar  to  the 
views  exchanged  between  them  at  Yarzin.  Also  that 
the  French  Republic  is  completely  in  accord  with  the 
Imperial  Government  of  Germany  about  the  desir- 
ability of  arriving  at  a  mutual  understanding  respect- 
ing the  delimitation  of  territory  over  the  West  Coast 
of  Africa,  especially  where  the  German  possessions 
border  on  those  of  the  French.  He  likewise  acknow- 
ledges that  the  friendly  accord  between  the  two  Govern- 
ments is  connected  with  principles  of  the  highest 
importance  to  trade  in  Africa,  of  which  the  chief 
are  those  which  must  govern  the  freedom  of  trade  in 
the  basin  of  the  Congo.  He  also  assents  to  the  idea 
that  whereas  the  African  International  Association, 
which  has  established  a  number  of  stations  on  the 


390 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  Congo,  declares  itself  ready  to  admit  that  principle 

Conference.  _ 

over  all  the  territory  under  its  control,  France  should 
grant  freedom  of  trade  over  that  which  she  now  owns, 
or  may  hereafter  own  on  the  Congo,  and  that  France 
declares  her  willingness  to  permit  this  freedom  to 
continue  in  the  event  of  her  reaping  the  benefit  of  the 
arrangements  touched  upon  by  the  Prince,  which 
assures  to  France  the  right  of  preference  in  case  of 
the  alienation  of  the  territories  acquired  by  the  Asso- 
ciation. He  defines  freedom  of  commerce  to  mean  free 
access  to  all  flags,  and  the  interdiction  of  all  monopoly 
or  differential  duties  ;  but  not  excluding  the  establish- 
ment of  taxes  to  compensate  for  useful  expenditure 
incurred  in  the  interests  of  commerce.  AVhile  freely 
extending  these  beneficial  concessions  to  commercial 
enterprise  in  the  Congo  basin,  Baron  de  Courcel 
states  that  France  is  not  willing  that  Gaboon,  Guinea, 
or  Senegal  should  share  them  ;  but  solely  the  Congo 
and  the  Niger.  With  other  views  expressed  by 
Prince  Bismarck,  the  French  Government  we  are  told, 
holds  identical  ideas,  and  Mons.  Jules  Ferry  acquiesces 
with  the  Prince  in  sending  an  invitation  to  the  other 
Cabinets  interested  in  African  trade,  for  the  purpose 
of  convening  a  Conference  which  shall  pronounce 
upon  the  respective  stipulations  mutually  agreed  upon 
by  France  and  Germany. 

On  the  2nd  of  October  Baron  de  Courcel  replies 
to  a  letter  addressed  to  him  by  Prince  Bismarck  : — 

"  My  Prince, — I  have  lost  no  time  in  informing  my  Government  of  the 
views  expressed  in  the  communication  of  your  Serene  Highness,  dated 


PLENIPOTENTIARIES  AT  BERLIN. 


391 


September  30th,  respecting  the  meeting  at  Berlin  of  a  Conference  of  the  ^he  Berlin 
representatives  of  the  different  nations  interested  in  the  trade  of  West  Conference. 
Africa.  The  Government  of  the  Eepublic  instructs  me  to  inform  you  of 
its  acquiescence  in  your  suggestions  regarding  the  date  of  the  opening 
of  the  Conference,  and  the  procedure  to  be  followed  for  the  invitation. 
M.  Jules  Ferry  thinks,  like  your  most  Serene  Highness,  that  besides 
France  and  Germany,  the  Powers  which  ought  first  of  all  to  take  part  in 
this  Conference  are  Great  Britain,  the  Netherlands,  Spain,  Portugal, 
Belgium,  and  the  United  States  of  North  America.  He  also  concurs  in 
your  opinion,  that  in  order  to  assure  the  general  assent  to  the  resolutions 
of  the  Conference,  it  would  be  advisable  to  invite  later  on  all  the  great 
Powers  and  the  Scandinavian  States  to  associate  themselves  with  the 
deliberations. 

(Signed)         "Alphonse  de  Courcel." 

Accordingly,  invitations  were  issued  to  the  under- 
mentioned Governments,  and  on  the  15th  of  November 
there  were  gathered  at  Berlin  the  following  plenipo- 
tentiaries, who  were  empowered  to  take  part  in  the 
Conferences. 


For  the  German  Empire  and    Otho,  Prince  de  Bismarck,  President  of  the 
the  Kingdom  of  Prussia  .       Council  of  Ministers,  and  Chancellor  of 

the  German  Empire. 
Paul,  Count  Hatzfeldt,  Minister  of  State 

and  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs. 
Dr.  Auguste  Busch,  Under  Secretary  of 

State  for  Foreign  Affairs. 
Herr  Henri  de  Kusserow,  Counsellor  in 
the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
For  the  Austrian  Empire,    Emeric,  Count  Szechenyi  de  Sarvari  Felso- 
Kingdom  of  Bohemia,  and      Vidck,  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and 
of  Hungary       ....  Plenipotentiary. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  Belgium    Gabriel,  Count  von  der  Straten  Ponthos, 

Envoy    Extraordinary    and  Minister 
Plenipotentiary. 
August,  Baron  Lambermont,  Minister  of 
State,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 
Plenipotentiary. 

For  the  Kingdom  of  Denmark   Emile  de  Vind,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and 

Minister  Plenipotentiary. 

For  the  Kingdom  of  Spain  .    Don  Francisco  Merry  y  Colom,  Count  de 

Benomar,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and 
Minister  Plenipotentiary. 


392 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  For  the  Republic  of  theUnitcd 
Conference,     states  of  North  America  . 


For  the  Republic  of  France 


John  A.  Kasson,  Esq.,  Envoy  Extraordi- 
nary and  Minister  Plenipotentiary. 
Henry  S.  Sanford,  Esq.,  formerly  American 

Minister  to  Belgium. 
Alphonse  Baron  de  Courcel,  Ambassador 

Extraordinary  and  Plenipotentiary 
Sir  Edward  Baldwin  Malet,  Ambassador 
Extraordinary  and  Plenipotentiary. 


For  the  UDited  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
and  the  Empire  of  India. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  Italy    .    Edward,  Count  de  Launay,  Ambassador 

Extraordinary  and  Plenipotentiary. 
For  the  Kingdom    of   the    Phillippe  Frederic,  Jonkheer  Van  der 
Netherlands  and  the  Duchy       Iloeven,    Envoy    Extraordinary  and 
of  Luxembourg.     .    .    .       Minister  Plenipotentiary. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  Portugal    Senhor  da  Serra  Gomes,  Marquis  de  Pena- 
and  the  Algarves.  .    .    .       fiel,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 

Plenipotentiary. 
Senhor  Antoine  Serpa  de  Pimentel,  Coun- 
cillor of  State. 

For  the  Empire  of  all  the   Pierre,  Count  Kapn^t,  Privy  Counsellor, 

Russias   Envoy   Extraordinary,   and  Minister 

Plenipotentiary  to  the  King  of  the 
Netherlands. 

For  the  Kingdom  of  Sweden   Gillis,  Baron  Bildr,  Lieut.-General,  Envoy 
and  Norway   Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipo- 

tentiary. 

For  the  Empire  of  the  Otto-    Mchemed  Said  Pacha,  Vizier  and  High 

mans   Dignitary,  Ambassador  Extraordinary 

and  Plenipotentiary. 

In  the  suite  and  attached  to  these  high  and  puissant 
functionaries  were  the  various  delegates  and  experts 
who  were  either  appointed  by  their  respective  Govern- 
ments or  by  the  Plenipotentiaries  themselves. 


With  the  German  Representatives  . 

French  Ambassador   .  . 


British  Ambassador 


Italian  Ambassador 


Herr  Adolphe  Woerman. 
Mons.  Dubuisson. 
Mons.  Engelhardt. 
Dr.  Ballay. 

Hon.  Robert  H.  Meade. 
Henry  Percy  Anderson,  Esq. 
Mr.  Hemming. 
Mr.  W.  E.  Crowe. 
Count  Christoforo  Negri. 
Senator  Montegazza. 


THE  MAIN  OBJECTS  OF  THE  CONFERENCE.  393 


With  the  Spanish  Ambassador  .     .    Col.  Coello  y  Dusada,  President  of  The  Berlin 

the  Spanish  African  Society.  Conference. 
„      Dutch  Ambassador     .    .    A.  D.  Bloeme,  Esq.,  of  Banana  Point, 

Congo  Kiver. 

„      Portuguese     Eepresenta-   Senhor  Luciano  Cordeiro. 

tives  Capt.  Carlos  du  Bocage. 

„      Belgian  Ambassador  .    .    Col.  Strauch. 

Mons.  Emile  Banning. 
„      American  Plenipotentairies  The  Author,  as  Technical  Adviser. 

The  secretaries  of  the  Conference  were  Mons.  Raindre, 
of  the  French  Embassy,  Count  Wm.  Bismarck,  and 
Vice-Consul  Dr.  Schmidt. 

The  sittings  were  held  in  the  German  Chancellor's 
palace  on  Wilhelmstrasse,  in  the  same  room  where  the 
Berlin  Congress  sat  in  1878. 

When  the  members  of  the  Conference  had  assembled, 
the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of  November,  Prince  Bismarck 
rose  to  formally  open  it,  and  in  his  short  address  he 
declared  that  the  Conference  had  met  for  the  solution 
of  three  main  objects,  namely 

1.  The  free  navigation,  with  freedom  of  trade,  on 
the  River  Congo. 

2.  The  free  navigation  of  the  River  Niger. 

3.  The  formalities  to  be  observed  for  valid  annexation 
of  territory  in  future  on  the  African  continent. 

Sir  Edward  Malet  replied,  that  while  he  echoed  the 
philanthropic  sentiments  of  the  Prince,  and  accepted 
the  above  three  points  for  discussion,  his  Government 
was  willing  to  see  the  principles  of  Free  Trade  ap- 
plied to  the  Niger,  but  stipulated  that  the  surveillance 
over  the  execution  of  those  principles  should  not  be 
conceded  to  any  international  body,  as  that  was  the 
duty  and  privilege  of  Great  Britain,  being  the  chief 


394 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  if  not  the  sole  proprietary  Power    on    the  Lower 

Conference.  . 

-N  lger. 

In  order  to  make  a  consecutive  narrative  of  the 
principal  events  connected  with  the  sittings,  I  append 
a  brief  diary  of  the  events  which  led  to  the  final 
act.* 

November  1 9th. — Portugal  declares  its  acceptance  of 
the  principle  of  freedom  of  commerce. 

Count  de  Launay  declared  his  adhesion  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  Free  Trade  and  navigation. 

The  American  Minister  makes  a  speech  in  harmony 
with  the  principles  for  which  the  Conference  has  been 
invoked ;  is  complimentary  to  the  author,  and  informs 
his  colleagues  that  the  author  has  been  appointed 
technical  delegate  for  the  United  States. 

A  Commission  is  to  be  appointed  to  consider  the 
boundaries  and  the  extent  of  the  territories  in  Western 
Africa  in  which  Free  Trade  is  to  be  established. 

The  plenipotentiaries  are  entertained  at  dinner  by 
Count  Hatzfeldt,  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

November  20th. — A  Commission  composed  of  the 
plenipotentiaries  and  delegates  considered  the  definition 
of  the  Congo  basin.  There  was  a  curious  reluctance 
to  speak,  as  though  there  was  some  grand  scheme  of 
State  policy  involved.  Finally  Mons.  Banning  briefly 
stated  that  the  Congo  basin  signified  the  area  of  land 
drained  by  the  river.  Colonel  Strauch  acquiesced  in 
Mons.  Banning's  remarks.  I  being  next  on  the  roll 
of  delegates  wTas  asked,  and  replied  at  length  (see 

*  See  Appendix. 


DEFINITION  OF  THE  CONGO  BASIN. 


395 


Appendix),  arguing  for  a  broad  commercial  delta 
380  miles  wide  to  a  free  commercial  basin,  that  is, 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Loge  river  to  2°  30'  S.  Lai, 
and  also  suggested,  quite  unexpectedly  to  the  members, 
that  it  would  be  wise  to  extend  the  same  liberty  for 
trade  across  Africa  to  within  one  degree  from  the  sea- 
coast  from  N.  Lat.  5°  to  and  inclusive  of  the  lower 
Zambezi.  Mr.  Anderson,  of  the  English  Foreign  Office, 
endorsed  mv  remarks  about  the  breadth  of  the  free 
outlet  to  the  commercial  basin  of  the  Congo.  Mons. 
de  Bloeme,  on  the  part  of  Holland,  also  warmly  sup- 
ported the  proposition.  The  Portuguese  delegates  pro- 
posed to  narrow  the  outlet  solely  to  the  river-mouth. 
Dr.  Ballay  argued  that  the  outlet  to  the  commercial 
basin  should  be  restricted  to  the  affluents  flowing  to 
the  Congo  below  Stanley  Pool,  which  near  the  mouth 
would  be  only  twenty  miles  wide. 

Xovember  24th. — The  Commission  finally  accepts 
the  definition  of  the  free  littoral  or  debouchure  of 
the  commercial  basin  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Anderson, 
M.  de  Bloeme  and  myself,  and  agreed  that  the  same 
freedom  of  commerce  should  be  extended  east  as 
far  as  the  Indian  Ocean,  with  due  reserve  to  the 
rights  of  suzerainty  now  existing  along  the  Oriental 
coast. 

Mons.  de  Bloeme  delivered  an  interesting  speech 
respecting  the  Dutch  commerce  on  the  Congo,  and 
Herr  Woerman  gave  evidence  as  to  the  character  and 
extent  of  the  trade  on  the  West  Coast. 

This  evening  I  dined  with  Prince  Bismarck.    I  am 


396 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  glad  to  have  seen  the  grand  man,  but  I  am  still  more 

Conference. 

rejoiced  to  discover  that  the  grandeur  to  which  he  has 
attained  is  due  solely  to  his  honesty,  resolution,  and 
clear-eyed  common-sense,  unalloyed  by  any  one  grain 
of  cant  or  false  sentiment. 

November  30th. — An  unanimous  decision  was  arrived 
at  in  favour  of  freedom  of  trade  throughout  the  newly- 
defined  Congo  basin  (see  Appendix  for  the  Declaration). 

I  made  a  speech  about  the  religious  and  missionary 
enterprise  in  the  Congo  basin. 

December  3rd. — The  special  sub-committee  continued 
its  deliberations  for  the  Actes  de  Navigation.  The  day 
before  Sir  E.  Malet,  on  the  part  of  England,  declared 
that  "  Great  Britain  engages  herself  to  protect  mer- 
chants and  foreigners  of  all  nations  engaging  in  com- 
merce in  those  portions  of  the  course  of  the  Niger 
which  are  or  will  be  under  its  sovereignty  or  its 
protectorate  equally  as  if  they  were  its  own  subjects, 
provided  always  that  these  merchants  conform  to  the 
regulations  which  are  or  will  be  established  in  terms 
of  that  which  precedes.'1 

Mr.  Wm.  H.  Tisdel,  appointed  by  the  United  States 
Government,  has  just  set  out  for  the  Congo  to  report 
upon  the  advantages  to  American  trade. 

December  13th. — The  Grand  Committee  of  the  Con- 
ference approved  the  Congo  and  Niger  Acts  of  Navi- 
gation. 

December  17th. — On  the  8th  of  November  Germany 
recognised  the  International  Association,  and  to-day 
Sir  Edward  Malet,  on  behalf  of  Great  Britain,  followed 


THE  ACTES  BE  NAVIGATION 


397 


her  example  on  conditions  nearly  similar  to  those  of  The  Berlin 

.       .  .  Conference. 

Germany.  The  question  or  delimitation  of  course  is 
not  touched  upon  until  some  agreement  has  been 
arrived  at  with  France  and  Portugal. 

December  18th. — There  was  a  full  meeting  of  the 
plenipotentiaries  to-day,  at  which  the  Actes  de  Navi- 
gation for  both  Niger  and  Congo  were  approved. 

December  19th. — Italy  signed  the  Convention  with 
Colonel  Strauch  to-day,  recognising  the  International 
Association. 

A  scheme  was  brought  out  at  the  Conference  for  the 
enforcement  of  temperance  on  the  Congo  by  Italy,  but 
it  was  strenuously  opposed  by  Germany  and  Holland. 
Baron  de  Courcel  produced  a  counter-motion,  which  is 
more  likely  to  be  accepted. 

December  22nd. — The  Commission  discussed  and 
approved  the  "  motion  "  on  liquor  traffic. 

December  23rd. — The  Conference  accepted  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Commission  regarding  the  liquor  traffic, 
but  added  that  measures  taken  to  prevent  its  abuse 
shall  not  be  taken  as  a  breach  of  the  Free  Trade 
principles  already  accepted ;  after  which  an  adjourn- 
ment until  the  5th  of  January  was  agreed  to. 

December  24th. — Austria  recognised  the  flag  of  the 
International  Association  as  that  of  a  friendly  State  in 
terms  similar  to  those  of  Germany,  with  reserving 
clauses  respecting  Consular  jurisdiction  like  those  of 
England  and  Italy. 

The  diplomatic  agents  of  the  Association  are  at 
work  in  Paris  about  a  treaty  with  France. 


398 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin     January  5th,  1885. — The  Conference  resumed  its 

Conference.  ,  .  . 

labours  to-day,  and  discussed  the  propositions  relating 
to  the  slave  trade  tendered  by  Sir  E.  B.  Malet  and 
Mr.  John  A.  Kasson.  As  recast,  these  embody  both 
proposals,  and  will  form  a  separate  declaration. 

January  Gth. — The  plenipotentiaries  received  at  a 
Conference  held  this  day  the  draft  Declaration  relating 
to  the  formalities  to  be  observed  when  taking  possession 
of  new  territory  on  the  coasts  of  Africa.  It  enjoins 
the  necessity  of  a  simultaneous  notification  to  all 
the  other  signatory  Powers  to  obtain  recognition, 
and  to  make  possession  valid,  and  recognises  the 
obligations  of  such  annexing  powers  to  establish  and 
maintain  a  jurisdiction  sufficient  to  ensure  the  observ- 
ance of  peace  as  well  as  respect  for  acquired  rights, 
and  as  the  case  may  be  for  the  conditions  under 
which  freedom  of  trade  and  of  transit  shall  have  been 
guaranteed. 

January  7th.  —  The  Declaration  prohibiting  slave 
trade  in  the  Congo  basin  was  adopted  by  the  Con- 
ference. It  says  :  "  Each  of  the  Powers  exercising 
sovereign  rights  or  influence  in  the  regions  forming 
the  conventionally  established  Congo  basin  declare  that 
these  regions  shall  not  be  used  as  markets  or  routes  of 
transit  for  the  trade  in  slaves,  no  matter  of  what  race. 
Each  of  these  Powers  binds  itself  to  use  all  the  means 
at  its  disposal  to  put  an  end  to  this  trade,  and  to  punish 
those  engaged  in  it." 

A  large  assemblage  from  the  Rhine  Province  and 
Westphalia  honoured  me  with  a  banquet  to-day,  and 


LECTURES  AND  BANQUETS. 


399 


listened  to  my  remarks  about  the  advantages  offered  The  Berlin 

_  _    1      _  Conference. 

to  commerce  m  the  basm  ot  the  Congo. 

January  8th. — I  lectured  to  a  remarkably  enthusiastic 
audience  at  Frankfort  this  evening,  on  Central  Africa, 
and  the  benefits  likely  to  accrue  to  Europe,  from  the 
labours  of  the  Conference,  A  diploma  from  the  oldest 
established  Geographical  Society  in  Germany,  and 
another  from  Prince  Hohenlohe  Langenburg.  on  behalf 
of  the  German  Colonial  Association,  were  bestowed 
on  me. 

January  9th. —  I  lectured  at  Wiesbaden  to-day,  and 
was  honoured  with  a  banquet. 

The  plenipotentiaries  discuss  the  Declaration  respect- 
ing formalities,  and  several  days'  delay  are  caused 
principally  through  Sir  E.  Malet  not  having  received 
definite  instructions  from  the  British  Foreign  Office 
upon  the  points  mentioned. 

January  19th.  —  Prince  Bismarck  entertained  the 
plenipotentiaries  and  delegates  at  a  banquet  given  at 
his  palace.  An  interesting  feature  at  these  banquets 
are  the  elaborate  menus  in  fashion  illustrating  the 
Congo  and  African  scenery, 

January  28th. — After  a  long  delay  the  third  point, 
which  referred  to  the  foundation  required  on  taking 
possession  of  a  portion  of  the  African  coast,  in  the 
programme  of  the  West  African  Conference,  was  dis- 
posed of  to-day. 

January  31st. — The  official  report  on  the  regulations 
to  be  observed  in  regard  to  future  annexations  was 
approved  at  a  plenary  sitting  of  the  Conference. 


400 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin     February  5th. — France  concluded  a  treaty  with  the 

Conference.  .  t»     •    '  l 

International  Association  to-day  at  Paris,  by  which  the 
frontiers  between  their  respective  territories  are  recog- 
nised to  be  as  follows  :  On  the  north  the  course  of  the 
Chiioango  river,  thence  from  its  source  to  near  Man- 
van  ga,  thence  the  River  Congo,  upward  through  the 
centre  of  Stanley  Pool,  and  along  the  Upper  Congo  as 
far  as  and  inclusive  of  the  basin  of  the  Likona.  The 
flag  of  the  Association  is  to  be  regarded  by  France  as 
that  of  a  friendly  State,  and  the  Government  of  the 
Republic  is  to  use  its  good  offices  in  the  effecting  an 
amicable  understanding  between  Portugal  and  the 
Association. 

February  6th. — Russia  formally  recognised  the  Asso- 
ciation Internationale  du  Congo  to-day,  and  signed  a 
Convention  with  its  President. 

February  10th. — Sweden  recognised  the  Association 
to-day,  and  signed  a  Convention  with  it. 

February  13th. — The  Acte  Glenerale  was  discussed 
at  a  meeting  of  this  day's  Conference.  Mr.  Kasson,  on 
behalf  of  the  United  States,  opposed  the  proposal  to 
give  it  the  form  of  a  Treaty. 

February  14th. — The  Commission  sat  this  afternoon 
to  deliberate  upon  the  neutrality  question. 

February  15th.  —  A  Delimitation  Convention  has 
been  at  last  signed  between  Portugal  and  the  Associa- 
tion, by  which  the  former  obtains  all  the  south  or  left 
bank  of  the  Congo  from  the  sea  as  far  as  the  rivulet  at 
Uango-Ango.  The  line  between  these  territories  runs 
south  through  the  mouth  of  this  rivulet,  to  the  latitude 


DELIMITATION  CONVENTION. 


401 


of  Nokki,  thence  east  to  the  Kwa  or  Kwango.     On  The  Berlin 

Conference, 

the  littoral  north  of  the  Congo,  Portuguese  territory 
begins  at  the  little  stream  near  Cabo  Lombo,  or  Red 
Point,  and  thence  extends  along  the  sea-coast  to  Mas- 
sabe'.  In  depth  this  territory  extends  inland  about 
35  miles,  forming  an  enclave  into  that  ceded  to  the 
Association. 

The  International  Association  has  obtained  through 
these  late  Conventions  with  France  and  Portugal  a  strip 
of  sea-coast  extending  from  Banana  Point  to  Cabo 
Lombo,  twenty-two  miles  in  length.  All  of  the  north, 
or  right  bank,  as  far  as  the  Cataract  of  Ntombo  Mataka, 
three  miles  above  Manyanga  Station,  with  back  country 
inland,  as  far  as  the  Chiloango  River.  On  the  south,  or 
left  bank,  the  territory  of  the  Association  begins  at 
Uango-Ango  rivulet,  and  ends  at  Lake  Bangweolo. 
Inland  it  runs  south  from  the  mouth  of  the  Uango- 
Ango  rivulet  to  the  latitude  of  Nokki,  thence  east 
along  that  parallel  to  the  Kwa  or  Kwango,  thence  the 
line  ascends  the  Kwa  to  S.  lat.  G°,  which  it  follows 
to  the  River  Lubilash.  Ascending  the  Lubilash,  it 
runs  south  to  the  water-parting  between  the  Zambezi 
and  the  Congo,  which  it  follows  to  Lake  Bangweolo. 
From  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake  the  line  runs  to  Lake 
Tanganika,  and  follows  its  western  shore  to  the  Rusizi 
influent,  and  up  along  its  course  until  it  touches  east 
long.  30°,  as  far  as  the  water-parting  between  the 
Congo  and  Nile  waters,  whence  it  strikes  westward  to 
East  long.  17°,  and  thence  along  that  meridian  south- 
ward to  the  Likona  Basin. 
Vol.  II.— 26 


402 


THE  CONGO, 


The  Berlin  February  19th. — The  Commission  was  engaged  this 
on  ennce.  afternoon  jn  deliberating  upon  the  French  neutrality 

proposal. 

February  21st. —  The  neutrality  question  has  been 
adopted.  Baron  Lambermont's  report  on  the  final  Acte 
was  read. 

February  23rd. — Belgium  has  formally  recognised 
the  International  Association,  the  Treaty  being  signed 
to-day.  Denmark  has  also  declared  by  treaty  its*  recog- 
nition of  the  new  State  of  the  Congo. 

Dr.  Busch,  the  acting  President,  communicated  to 
the  Conference  the  fact  that  nearly  all  the  Powers 
assembled  had  concluded  Conventions  for  the  recog- 
nition of  the  International  Association,  and  declared 
not  only  his  personal  gratification  at  the  news,  but 
also  that  the  German  Government  entertained  the 
warmest  sympathy  with  the  magnanimous  efforts  of 
King  Le'opold  II.,  which  had  been  so  signally  crowned 
with  success.  The  assembled  delegates  expressed  their 
cordial  assent,  and  on  their  part  recorded  in  the 
protocol  a  similar  testimony  of  their  appreciation  of 
the  great  work  of  the  King  of  the  Belgians.  (See 
Appendix.) 

February  26th.  —  The  final  plenary  sitting  of  the 
Conference  took  place  to-day.  Prince  Bismarck  occu- 
pied the  chair  to  formally  close  the  meeting  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Powers  whom  he  had  convoked  to 
deliberate  upon  the  important  questions  now  settled. 

The  final  Act,  which  is  engrossed  on  vellum,  was 
signed  by  the  nineteen  plenipotentiaries  representing 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CONFERENCE. 


403 


fourteen  European  Powers.     Prince  Bismarck  then  The  Berlin 

Conference, 

rose  and  introduced  Colonel  Strauch,  the  President  of 
the  International  Association,  to  the  members,  and  an- 
nounced that  he,  on  behalf  of  that  Association  in  its 
recognised  quality  as  the  Congo  State,  had  expressed 
and  signed  its  adhesion  to  the  General  Act  of  the  West 
African  Conference.  After  reviewing  the  labours  of 
that  high  diplomatic  body,  the  Prince  concluded  by 
thanking  the  plenipotentiaries  in  the  name  of  the 
Emperor. 

Count  de  Launay,  as  doyen  of  the  plenipotentiaries, 
returned  the  thanks  of  his  illustrious  associates,  saying 
that  the  success  of  the  Conference  was  in  a  large 
measure  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  German  Chancellor. 

My  own  remarks  upon  the  labours  of  the  Conference 
must  be  brief.  Two  European  Powers  emerge  out  of 
the  elaborate  discussions  protracted  for  such  a  long 
period,  principally  through  the  adroitness  and  skill 
of  Baron  de  Courcel,  and  the  concurrence  of  Prince 
Bismarck,  with  enormously  increased  colonial  posses- 
sions. 

France  is  now  mistress  of  a  West  African  terri- 
tory, noble  in  its  dimensions,  equal  to  the  best  tropic 
lands  for  its  vegetable  productions,  rich  in  mineral 
resources,  most  promising  for  its  future  commercial 
importance. 

In  area  it  covers  a  superficies  of  257,000  square 
miles,  equal  to  that  of  France  and  England  combined, 
with  access  on  the  eastern  side  to  5200  miles  of  river- 
navigation  ;  on  the  West  is  a  coast-line  nearly  800  miles 


404 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  long,  washed  by  the  Atlantic  ocean.  It  contains  within 

Conference  ,  .  .  . 

its  borders  eight  spacious  river  basins,  and  throughout 
all  its  broad  surface  of  90,000,000  square  hectares, 
not  one  utterly  destitute  of  worth  can  be  found. 

Portugal  issues  out  of  the  Conference  with  a  coast- 
line  995  English  miles  in  length,  351,500  square 
statute  miles  in  extent,  a  territory  larger  than  the 
combined  areas  of  France,  Belgium,  Holland,  and 
Great  Britain.  On  the  Lower  Congo,  its  river  bank 
is  103  miles  in  length.  It  can  now  boast  of  healthy 
pastoral  lands  to  the  south,  oil  and  rubber  producing 
forests  northward,  mineral  fields  in  the  north-eastern 
portion  of  its  territory,  and  valuable  agricultural 
regions  in  its  eastern  borders.  If  her  own  population 
were  added  to  the  aboriginal  population  of  this  African 
colonial  territory,  and  distributed  over  its  area,  there 
w^ould  still  be  sufficient  to  give  32§  acres  to  each 
Portuguese  white  and  black  subject.  Her  home 
and  colonial  populations  of  all  colours  number  now 
8,300,000.  The  area  of  her  territories  in  Africa, 
Asia,  and  the  oceans,  measure  741,343  square  miles, 
or  474,500,000  acres,  sufficient  to  give  each  subject 
57  acres.  Great  Britain,  on  the  other  hand,  with  all 
her  vast  acreage  of  5,056  millions  of  acres,  can  only 
give  to  each  of  her  249,000,000  of  people  the  small 
portion  of  20^  acres. 

The  International  Association  surrendered  its  claims 
to  60,366  square  miles  of  territory  to  France,  and  to 
Portugal  45,400  square  miles,  for  which  consideration 
600  square  miles  of  the  north  bank  between  Boma 


ACQUISITIONS  TO  FRANCE  AND  PORTUGAL.  405 


and  the  sea  were  conceded  to  it,  besides  cordial  recog-  The  Berlin 

.    .  .       .  .  r  Conference. 

nition  of  its  remaining  territorial  rights  from  two 
powerful  neighbours. 

To  the  world  at  large,  the  two  powers  above  men- 
tioned have  been  also  duly  considerate,  for  the  territo- 
ries surrendered  to  them  by  the  Association  have  been 
consecrated  to  free  trade,  which,  along  with  those  recog- 
nised as  belonging  to  the  Association  and  which  were 
pre-ordained  for  such  uses,  and  those  as  yet  unclaimed 
by  any  Power,  but  still  reserved  for  the  same  privi- 
leges, form  a  domain  equal  to  1,600,000  square  miles 
in  extent,  throughout  which  most  exceptional  privileges 
have  been  secured  by  the  cordial  unanimity  of  the 
riveraine  of  the  United  States  and  European  Powers 
for  commerce.  With  due  reserve  for  the  sovereign 
rights  of  Portugal  and  Zanzibar,  this  Free  Trade  area 
extends  across  Africa  to  within  one  degree  of  the  East 
Coast,  thus  enlarging  the  privileged  commercial  zone 
to  2,400,000-  square  miles. 

Cynics  may  declare,  on  glancing  over  the  large  mile- 
age proudly  claimed  to  have  been  reserved  for  free 
development  and  trade,  that  the  advantages  are  only 
prospective ;  that  there  are  no  traders  within  the 
boundaries  to  be  benefited  by  these  liberal  endow- 
ments. That  is  true  enough ;  but  the  absorption  of 
Africa  by  European  Powers  was  rapidly  advancing, 
and  considering  that  of  the  coasts  there  remained  but 
little  unoccupied,  it  is  something  surely  to  have  rescued 
such  a  large  portion  of  Africa  from  final  closure  to 
possible  commercial  enterprise. 


406 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin     Philanthropists  argued  very  rationally  in  this  wise: 

Conference. 

"  Africa  is  already  popularly  supposed  to  be  the  most 
unhealthy  continent  in  the  world.  A  general  dread  of 
its  climate  prevails  in  the  minds  of  men.  It  has  been 
but  lately  explored  in  its  interior,  and  to  all  except  a 
few  geographers  it  is  comparatively  unknown.  If 
European  Powers  are  permitted  to  seize  the  coasts 
round  about  the  Continent,  and  levy  the  usual  differen- 
tia] customs  and  high  tariffs,  they  will  for  ever  prevent 
commercial  enterprise  from  essaying  the  exploitation  of 
any  part  of  it.  If,  however,  we  can  guarantee  these 
fertile  and  naturally  productive  territories  larger  privi- 
leges and  absolute  immunity  from  oppression,  a  few 
bold  enterprising  spirits  may  be  tempted  to  venture 
inland,  and  their  success  will  induce  others  to  follow, 
until  the  continent  is  fairly  won  from  barbarism  and 
unproductiveness." 

These  philanthropic  views  have  been  realised.  The 
merchant  adventurer  is  fenced  all  around  with  guaran- 
tees against  spoliation,  oppression,  vexation,  and  worry, 
and  his  Consul,  the  representative  of  his  Government, 
is  charged  with  the  jurisdiction  over  his  person  and 
property.  At  the  gateway  to  the  free  commercial 
realm  the  Commissioner,  with  his  colleagues,  will 
take  position,  and  will  remain  there  close  at  hand  to 
protect  his  interests.  These  officials  will  constitute  a 
Court  of  Law  called  the  International  Commission,  to 
whom  he  can  always  appeal  for  redress  and  protection. 
Only  on  the  exportation  of  the  produce  he  has  collected 
can  a  moderate  sum  be  charged,  sufficient  to  remune- 


SATISFACTORY  DIPLOMACY.  407 

rate  the  riveraine  Government  for  its  expenditure.  Th 

Cor 

The  liquor  traffic  may  not  be  abused  ;  slave-trading-  is 
prohibited ;  the  missionary  is  entitled  to  special  pro- 
tection ;  and  scientific  expeditious  to  special  privileges. 
To  all  these  numerous  privileges  in  behalf  of  commerce 
and  humanity,  the  European  Powers,  and  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  the  International  Association,  other- 
wise the  Congo  State,  unanimously  gave  their  approval, 
and  every  political  Power  left  the  Conference  with 
unqualified  satisfaction. 

The  author  of  this  record  likewise  feels  called  upon 
to  express  his  unbounded  satisfaction  with  all  that  has 
been  irrevocably  fixed  by  the  decrees  of  the  assembled 
representatives  of  Europe.  He  expresses  also  his  per- 
sonal thanks  to  His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Bismarck, 
and  to  the  German  representatives,  Dr.  Busch  and  Herr 
von  Kusserow,  for  the  remarkable  patience  they  mani- 
fested during  the  protracted  sitting,  which  gave  time 
for  the  most  advanced  ideas  to  mature  and  bear  fruit, 
which  the  least  impatience  would  have  endangered ; 
to  Baron  de  Courcel,  for  the  exquisite  tact  he  displayed 
throughout  his  Presidency  of  the  Commission,  which 
charmed  all  who  came  within  his  circle ;  to  each  and 
all  of  the  assembled  plenipotentiaries  for  their  many 
kindnesses  and  their  enlightened  co-operation.  All  men 
who  sympathise  with  good  and  noble  works — and  this 
has  been  one  of  unparalleled  munificence  and  grandeur 
of  ideas — will  unite  with  the  author  in  hoping  that 
King  Leopold  II.,  the  Royal  Founder  of  this  unique 
humanitarian  and  political  enterprise,  whose  wisdom 


408 


THE  CONGO. 


The  Berlin  rightly  guided  it,  and  whose  moral  courage  bravely 
on  e  ence.  gug^ne(j  am^  varying  vicissitudes  to  a  happy  and 
a  successful  issue,  will  long  live  to  behold  his  Free 
State  expand  and  flourish  to  be  a  fruitful  blessing  to 
a  region  that  was  until  lately  as  dark  as  its  own  deep 
sunless  forest  shades. 


FINIS  COROXAT  OPUS. 


APPENDIX. 


The  Commercial  Basin  of  the  Congo,  as  described  by  the  Author 
before  the  berlin  conference. 

To  define  the  geographical  basin  of  the  Congo,  whether  explored  f^e  Berlin 
or  unexplored,  is  a  very  easy  matter,  since  every  schoolboy  knows  Conference, 
that  a  river  basin — geographically  speaking — includes  all  that 
territory  drained  by  the  river  and  its  affluents,  large  and  small. 
The  Congo,  unlike  many  other  large  rivers,  has  no  fluvial  delta ;  it 
issues  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  one  united  stream  between 
Shark's  Point  on  the  south  and  Banana  Point  on  the  north,  with  a 
breadth  of  seven  miles  and  an  unknown  depth;  soundings  having 
been  obtained  over  1300  feet  deep.  The  Niger  has  a  fluvial 
delta  extending  over  180  miles  of  coast-line ;  the  Nile  and  the 
Mississippi  have  deltas  extending  over  a  considerable  breadth  of 
coast-line.  But  when  you  ask  me  as  to  what  I  should  consider  as 
the  commercial  basin  of  the  Congo,  I  am  bound  to  answer  you 
that  the  main  river  and  its  most  important  affluents  running  into 
it.  from  the  north  and  south  and  from  the  north-east  and  north- 
west, east  and  west,  south-east  and  south-west,  constitute  means 
by  which  trade  ascending  the  river  and  its  affluents  can  influence 
a  much  larger  amount  of  territory  than  is  comprised  within  the 
geographical  basin. 

For  all  practical  purposes  the  geographical  basin  of  the  Congo 
might  be  permitted  to  stand  for  the  commercial  basin  of  the 
Congo  as  well.  When,  however,  we  begin  to  consider  the  com- 
mercial outlets  from  this  basin  of  the  Congo,  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  they  extend,  as  a  commercial  delta  to  a  commercial 
basin,  from  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  to  the  south  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Congo,  as  far  north  and  including  the  Ogowai  Kiver.  Whereas 


410 


APPENDIX. 


The  Berlin  niueh  of  the  littoral  through  which  the  commercial  delta  de- 
Conference.  bouches  is  already  occupied,  we  find  that  the  breadth  of  what  may 
be  considered  as  the  free  commercial  delta  of  the  commercial  basin 
of  the  Congo  extends  along  the  coast-line  from  1°  25'  S.  lat.  to 
near  7    50'  S.  lat.,  385  geographical  miles.    For  the  following 
reason  :  at  Stanley  Tool,  325  miles  up  the  Congo  from  the  sea,  we 
encounter  fleets  of  trading  canoes  which  have  descended  the  main 
river  from  as  far  up  as  the  Equator  from  the  affluents  Mohindu  or 
Black  River,  and  the  Kwango  or  Kwa,  who  wait  patiently  months 
at  a  time  for  the  caravans  from  Loango,  the  Kwilu,  Landana, 
Kabinda,  Zombo,  Funta,  Kinzao,  Kinsembo,  Ambrizette,  and  other 
places  on  the  coast,  which  bring  European  goods  from  the  coast  to 
Stanley  Pool  to  exchange  for  the  produce  of  the  Upper  Congo, 
notably  ivory,  rubber,  and  camwood  powder ;  and  after  a  time, 
having  exchanged  their  goods,  march  back  with  such  produce 
of  the  Upper  Congo  as  will  repay  transport,  to  the  European 
traders  settled  along  the  free  coast-line  of  385  geographical  miles 
just  mentioned.    These  various  channels  of  trade,  formed  by  un- 
instructed  barbarism,  may  then  well  be  compared  to  a  commercial 
delta.   To  define  the  commercial  basin  of  the  Congo  by  boundaries 
is  very  simple  after  the  above  remarks,  and  I  will  describe  them 
as  follows:    Commencing  from  the  xVtlantic  Ocean,  I  should  follow 
the  line  of  1°  25'  S.  lat.  east  as  far  as  13°  13'  Ion.  east  of  Green- 
wich, and  along  that  meridian  north  until  the  watershed  of  the 
Niger-Binue   is   reached,  thence  easterly  along  the  watershed 
separating  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Congo  from  those  flowing 
into  the  Shari,  and  continuing  east  along  the  water-parting 
between  the  waters  of  the  Congo  and  those  of  the  Nile,  and 
southerly  and  easterly  along  the  watershed  between  the  wraters 
flowing  into  the  Tanganika  and  those  flowing  into  the  affluents  of 
Lake  Victoria,  and  still  clinging  to  the  watershed  to  the  east  of 
the  Tanganika  southerly  until  the  water-parting  between  the 
waters  flowing  into  the  Zambesi  and  those  flowing  into  the  Congo 
is  reached ;  thence  along  that  watershed  westerly  until  the  head 
waters  of  the  main  tributary  of  the  Kwango,  or  Kwa,  is  reached, 
whence  the  line  shown  runs  along  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
Kwango,  or  Kwa,  to  7°  50'  S.  lat. ;  thence  straight  to  the  Loge 
River,  and  thence  along  the  left  bank  of  that  river  westerly  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.    By  this  delimitation  you  will  have  comprised  the 
geographical  or  commercial  basin  and  its  present  commercial 
delta. 

Baron  de  Courcel  asked  what  might  the  value  of  the  trade  in 


APPENDIX. 


411 


the  Congo  basin  be  estimated  at,  to  which  Mr.  Stanley  replied  :  Tjie  Berlin 
"  The  Lower  Congo  and  the  immediate  free  littoral  make  a  shore-  Conference, 
line  388  English  miles  in  length.  This  mileage  produces  a 
present  trade  of  £2,800,000  annually.  The  Upper  Congo  is  much 
more  fertile,  and,  as  it  has  a  river  shore  of  10,000  miles,  it 
ought  to  produce,  if  equally  developed,  a  trade  worth  £70,000,000 
annually.  Or,  if  we  reckon  it  in  this  manner,  from  the  river 
Gambia  to  Loanda,  along  a  coast-line  of  2,900  miles  in  length, 
there  are  employed  forty-five  steamers  and  eighty  sailing  vessels 
every  year.  The  Congo  basin,  with  river  banks  over  three  times 
longer,  ought  to  employ,  if  equally  developed  and  equally  ex- 
ploited, three  times  that  number,  or  say  135  steamers,  and  240 
sailing  vessels." 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Kasson,  Minister  for  the  United  States,  asked 
Mr.  Stanley  if  he  would  be  good  enough  to  explain  to  their 
Excellencies  if  a  further  extension  of  the  free  commercial  territory 
to  the  eastward  wrould  not  be  advantageous  to  commerce,  to  which 
Mr.  Stanley  replied :  I  journeyed  in  the  year,  1874,  1875,  1870, 
and  1877  acrobs  Africa  from  east  to  west — that  is  to  say  from 
Bagamoyo,  opposite  Zanzibar,  to  Lake  Victoria.  I  circumnavi- 
gated that  lake,  and  thence  proceeded  west  and  discovered  Muta- 
Nzige.  Retracing  my  steps  to  Lake  Victoria,  I  journeyed  to  Lake 
Tanganika,  which  lake  I  also  circumnavigated,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Nyangwe  and  down  the  Congo  River  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  This  journey  was  made  across  25°  of  longitude  and  up 
and  down  11°  of  latitude  ;  and  I  declare  solemnly  to  you  that,  from 
a  distance  of  ten  miles  from  Bagamoyo,  my  starting-jilace  on  the 
east  coast'  of  Africa,  until  I  sighted  an  English  flag  at  the  mast- 
head of  a  merchant  river-steamer  on  the  Congo,  along  a  journey  of 
7600  miles,  I  never  saw  a  flag,  or  an  emblem,  or  symbol,  flag- 
staff, erection  of  wood,  stone,  or  iron,  to  indicate  that  I  had 
come  across  civilised,  or  semi-civilised,  power  or  authority;  the 
authority  I  encountered  everywhere  being  the  authority  of  in- 
dependent native  chiefs,  exacting  tribute  on  the  eastern  half,  and 
opposing  violence  on  the  western  half.  At  Ujiji  and  Nyangwe  I 
did  meet  a  trading  community  of  Arabs  settled  at  each  place.  But 
they  were  isolated  and  cut  off  by  want  of  connection  from  their 
parent  state  at  Zanzibar,  and  all  comers  hither  had  been  compelled 
to  submit  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Wagogo,  the  Wahha,  the  Wavinza, 
and  the  Wakaranga,  independent  native  tribes  who  demanded  the 
tribute  in  recognition  of  their  rights  to  the  soil  over  which  the 
caravans  passed.    Therefore,  this  being  the  case,  I  wrould  propose 


412 


APPENDIX. 


The  Berlin  that  the  free  commercial  territory  across  central  Africa  should  be 
Conference,  comprised  within  the  following  limits  :  Beginning  at  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  at  S.  latitude  1°  25',  this  line  should  run  along  that  parallel 
east  to  longitude  13°  30'  from  the  Greenwich  meridian,  thence 
north  along  the  meridian  of  13°  30'  to  N.  latitude  5° ;  thence  along 
that  parallel  of  latitude  continuously  east  to  within  one  geogra- 
phical degree  from  the  Indian  Ocean.  From  this  point  the  line 
should  continue  parallel  with  the  east  African  coast  at  the 
distance  of  one  geographical  degree  down  to  the  right  bank  of  the 
Zambesi,  and  the  following  rivers  piercing  this  eastern  line  and 
having  their  exit  into  the  Indian  Ocean:  The  Jub,  the  Tana, 
the  Pangani,  the  Wami,  the  Kufiji,  or  Lufiji,  the  Kovuma,  and  the 
Zambesi— the  latter  as  far  up  as  five  miles  above  the  confluence 
of  the  Shire  and  the  Zambesi  should  be  declared  free  to  naviga- 
tion; thence  from  that  point  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Zambesi, 
across  that  river  and  along  the  water  passing  between  waters 
flowing  to  Lake  Nyassa,  and  those  flowing  direct  to  other  affluents 
of  the  Zambesi,  northerly  as  far  as  the  Congo  and  Zambesi 
watershed  ;  thence  westerly  along  that  watershed  until  the  head 
waters  of  the  Kwango  or  Kwa  shall  have  been  reached,  whence 
the  line  shall  follow  the  left  bank  of  the  principal  tributary  to 
S.  latitude  7°  50',  and  from  that  point  the  line  to  extend  west- 
ward of  the  Loge  river,  and  following  the  left  bank  of  that 
river  westerly  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Within  the  above 
described  limits,  the  Congo  basin,  in  addition  to  the  lacustrine 
basins  of  the  Lakes  Victoria,  Albert,  and  Nyassa,  and  the  river 
basins  of  the  lower  Jub,  the  Tana,  the  Pangani,  the  Wami,  the 
Lufu,  the  Rufiji,  and  the  Rovuma,  are  comprised  ;  and  I  respect- 
fully submit  that  the  more  unrestricted  this  spacious  commercial 
domain  shall  be  the  sooner  it  will  be  subjected  tD  the  influences  of 
Christianity,  civilisation,  and  commerce.  It  bears  within  itself 
nearly  all  the  products  required  by  the  necessities  of  Europe,  and 
all  the  elements  that  might  be  needed  for  its  conversion  from 
being  an  unproductive  waste  to  be  a  material  and  moral  profit  to 
humanity.  Within  its  bosom  it  contains  nearly  80,000  square 
miles  of  lake  water,  the  second  largest  river  and  river-basin  in  the 
world,  fertility  that  no  equatorial  or  tropical  regions  elsewhere 
can  match,  a  population  I  should  estimate  at  ninety  millions 
of  people,  great  independent  native  empires,  kingdoms,  and 
republics,  like  Uganda,  Ruanda,  Unyoro,  and  the  pastoral  plain 
country  like  the  Masai  Land ;  gold  and  silver  deposits,  abundant 
copper  and  iron  mines,  valuable  forests  producing  priceless  timber, 


APPENDIX. 


413 


inexhaustible  quantities  of  rubber,  precious  gums  and  spices,  The  Berlin 
pepper  and  coffee,  cattle  in  countless  herds,  and  people  who  are  Conference, 
amenable  to  the  courtesies  of  life  provided  they  are  protected  from 
the  attacks  of  the  lawless  freebooter  and  the  murderous  wiles  of 
the  slave-traders.  These  facts,  I  respectfully  submit,  are  sufficient 
to  justify  me  in  suggesting  that  the  more  comprehensible  yet 
simple  limits  just  described  should  form  the  boundaries  of  the  free 
commercial  territory  of  Equatorial  Africa,  and  that  free,  un- 
restricted means  of  access  should  be  secured  to  it,  both  from  the 
east  as  well  as  from  the  west. 

Baron  de  Courcel  questioned  Mr.  Stanley  as  to  the  actual  trade 
at  present  in  the  Upper  Congo  by  which  it  might  be  known  what 
existing  inducements  there  were  for  the  construction  of  a  railway. 
Mr.  Stanley  replied  that  at  present  on  the  Upper  Congo,  according 
to  his  calculations,  the  goods  and  articles  required  by  the  French 
settlements,  the  two  English  Mission  Societies,  the  International 
Association,  and  native  caravans  would,  if  constrained  to  pay  the 
railway  the  same  prices  as  now  paid  for  human  transport,  be  suffi- 
cient to  pay  5  per  cent,  on  a  capital  of  £860,000,  which  was  ample 
for  the  construction  of  a  light  railway  from  Yivi  to  Isangila,  four 
steamers  at  £10,000  each,  between  Isangila  and  Manyanga,  and  a 
railway  section  95  miles  long  between  Manyanga  and  Leopold- 
ville.  If,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  construct  a  direct  line  to 
Leopoldville  from  Vivi,  the  cost  would  be  £1,500,000,  inclusive  of 
all  expenses,  and  a  flotilla  to  ply  between  the  sea  and  Vivi. 

Sir  Edward  Malet  asked  Mr.  Stanley  if,  in  his  opinion,  the  line 
of  railway  from  Vivi  to  Stanley  Pool  would  be  sufficient  as  a  com- 
mercial outlet  for  the  commerce  of  the  Congo  basin?  Mr.  Stanle}7" 
replied :  Certainly  not.  It  might  be  a  sufficient  outlet  for  the 
main  channel  of  the  river  and  the  lower  portions  of  the  affluents 
flowing  into  that  channel,  but  it  would  not  be  a  sufficient  outlet 
for  the  upper  portions  of  the  southern  affluents,  inasmuch  as  those 
find  an  outlet  by  the  caravan  route,  via  Bihe  to  Benguella  and 
Angola,  and  Cassange  to  Angola,  and  the  northern  portions  of  the 
north-western  streams  flowing  into  the  Congo  would  naturally 
seek  the  caravan  routes  to  the  Gaboon,  the  Ogowai,  and  the 
Kwilu-Niadi.  I  therefore  strictly  adhere  to  my  delimitation  of 
the  commercial  basin  which  I  have  already  had  the  honour  of  de- 
scribing to  your  Excellency. 

His  Excellency  the  Plenipotentiary  for  the  Government  of  the 
Netherlands  remarked  that  Mr.  Cameron  had  written  a  book  wherein 
it  was  stated  that  canals  might  be  constructed  with  advantage. 


414 


APPENDIX. 


The  Berlin  Ho  would  be  obliged  if  Mr.  Stanley  would  inform  him  whether  he 
Conference.  had  Been  ajjy  localities  where  canals  might  be  advantageously  con- 
structed. Mr.  Stanley  replied  that  he  knew  only  of  one  place,  and 
that  was  between  Lake  Mantumba  and  Lake  Leopold  II.,  by 
which  a  canal  might  easily  be  constructed,  of  a  length  of  25 
miles,  to  connect  the  two  places  along  a  depression  which  showed 
that  at  high  water  it  was  possible  the  two  lakes  might  even  be 
now  connected. 

Baron  de  Courcel  inquired  whether  there  were  any  tunnels  to 
be  made  along  the  proposed  railway  between  Vivi  and  Stanley 
Tool  ?    Mr.  Stanley  replied  in  the  negative. 

After  some  remarks  from  Dr.  Ballay  depreciatory  of  the  value 
of  the  produce  of  the  Congo  basin,  and  of  the  Ogowai  river  as  a 
channel  for  transporting  produce  from  the  upper  Congo  to  the 
sea,  Mr.  Stanley  replied  as  follows  :  Whereas  Dr.  Ballay  ascended 
the  Ogowai  river,  crossed  the  watershed,  and  descended  the 
Alima  river  to  the  Upper  Congo  with  a  steamer  and  large  quanti- 
ties of  goods,  and  whereas  M.  de  Brazza  likewise  ascended  the 
Ogowai  river  and  descended  the  Alima  river,  and  on  a  former 
occasion  struck  across  to  Stanley  Pool,  it  is  evident  that  the 
Ogowai  river  must  also  be  considered  as  a  stream  belonging  to  the 
commercial  delta  of  the  commercial  basin  of  the  Congo.  And 
whereas  in  1881  I  received  from  M.  de  Brazza  a  letter  wherein  he 
stated  that  he  strongly  recommended  my  sending  by  the  Ogawai 
route  my  letters,  and  officers  incapacitated  by  sickness  from 
further  work,  as  from  experience  he  judged  that  route  to  be 
shorter  and  superior  to  the  route  by  the  Congo  to  the  sea,  I 
am  bound  to  take  M.  de  Brazza's  own  written  statements,  and 
Messrs.  de  Brazza  and  Ballay's  successes  by  the  Ogowai-Alima 
route  and  Ogowai-Stanley  Pool  route  as  indisputable  proofs  of  the 
correctness  of  my  assertions  that  if  the  commercial  basin  of  the 
Congo,  with  its  various  outlets  to  the  sea,  shall  be  declared  free  for 
commerce  to  come  and  go  untaxed,  the  free  littoral  should  have  its 
northern  limit  at  S.  lat.  1°  25'  to  long.  13°  30'  east  of  Greenwich, 
and  thence  north  along  that  meridian  to  the  water-parting 
between  the  waters  flowing  to  the  Niger-Binue  and  those  flowing 
to  the  Congo,  and  that  the  southern  limit  of  the  littoral  will  be 
just  if  fixed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Loge  river,  thence  east  along 
that  river  easterly  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Kwango  or  Kwa  river 
at  S.  lat.  7°  50'. 


APPENDIX. 


415 


PROTOCOL,  No.  9. 

February  23rd,  1885. 

The  sitting  opened  at  half-past  Three  o'clock,  under  the  Presidency  The  Berlin 
of  M.  BUSCH.  Conference, 

The  President,  before  proceeding  to  the  order  of  the  da}-,  com- 
municated to  the  High  Assembly  a  letter  which  had  been  addressed 
to  His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Bismarck  by  the  President  of  the 
International  Association  of  the  Congo,  and  which  was  in  these 
terms : — 

"  Prince. — The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  has 
concluded  treaties  in  succession  with  all  the  Powers  represented 
at  tho  Berlin  Conference  (except  one)  which  among  their  clauses 
contain  a  provision  recognising  its  flag  as  that  of  a  friendly 
State  or  Government.  The  negotiations  in  progress  with  the 
remaining  Power  will,  there  is  every  reason  to  hope,  have  an  early 
and  favourable  termination.  I  bring  this  fact  to  the  knowledge 
of  your  Serene  Highness  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians  in  his  capacity  as  Founder  of  the 
Association. 

"The  meeting  and  the  deliberations  of  the  'eminent  Assembly 
now  in  session  at  Berlin  under  your  High  Presidency  have 
materially  contributed  to  hasten  this  felicitous  rosnlt.  The  Con- 
ference, to  which  I  beg  to  offer  due  homage,  will,  I  venture  to 
hope,  be  disposed  to  consider  the  accession  of  a  Tower  whose 
exclusive  mission  is  to  introduce  civilisation  and  commerce  into 
the  interior  of  Africa  as  an  additional  token  of  the  results  due  to 
its  important  labours. 

"  I  am,  with  the  profoundest  respect, 

"  Your  Serene  Highness's  most  humble  and 
most  obedient  servant, 

"  Strauch. 

"Berlin,  23rd  February,  1885. 
"  To  His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Bismarck, 

"  President  of  the  Berlin  Conference." 


416 


APPENDIX. 


n  ,.  M.  Buscii  having  read  this  communication  spoke  as  follows: — 
The  Berlin  &  ... 

Conference.     "  Gentlemen, — I  lolieve  I  am  expressing  the  unanimous  feeling 

of  the  Conference  in  welcoming  as  a  happy  event  the  communica- 
tion which  has  been  made  to  us  and  which  informs  us  of  the 
almost  unanimous  recognition  of  the  International  Association  of 
the  Congo.  AVe  all  of  us  do  justice  to  the  elevated  purpose  of  the 
work  to  which  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Bolgians  has  lent  his 
name  ;  we  all  of  us  recognise  the  efforts  and  sacrifices  by  means  of 
which  he  has  guided  it  to  the  point  it  has  reached  to-day  ;  we  are 
all  desirous  that  the  most  complete  success  may  crown  an  enter- 
prise which  can  support  so  usefully  the  objects  the  Conference  has 
had  in  view." 

Baron  de  Courcel  then  spoke  as  follows  : — 

"As  representing  a  Power  whose  possessions  border  on  those  of 
the  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  I  note  with  satisfaction 
the  step  taken  by  that  Association  in  informing  us  of  its  entrance 
into  international  life.  In  the  name  of  my  Government  I  beg  to 
express  the  wish  that  the  State  of  the  Congo  as  now  territorially 
constituted  within  definite  boundaries  will  soon  provide  regular 
governmental  organization  for  the  vast  domain  whose  prosperity 
has  been  entrusted  to  it.  Its  neighbours  will  be  the  first  to 
l-ejoice  at  its  progress,  for  they  will  be  the  first  to  profit  by  the 
development  of  its  prosperity  and  by  all  those  guarantees  of  order, 
safety,  and  good  administration  with  ™hich  it  has  undertaken  to 
endow  the  interior  of  Africa. 

"  The  new  State  owes  its  birth  to  the  generous  aspirations  and 
enlightened  initiative  of  a  Prince  respected  throughout  Europe. 
It  hns  been  devoted  from  its  cradle  to  the  practice  of  every  liberty. 
Assured  of  the  unanimous  goodwill  of  the  Powers  here  represented, 
let  us  join  in  the  hope  that  it  will  fulfil  the  destiny  promised  for 
it  under  the  Avise  direction  of  its  august  founder,  whose  con- 
trolling influence  is  the  best  assurance  for  its  future." 

Count  Kapnist  desired  to  join,  in  accordance  with  his  instruc- 
tions, in  the  homage  rendered  by  his  colleagues  to  the  enlightened 
and  fertile  initiative  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians. 

Sir  Edward  Malet  then  spoke  as  follows : — 

"  The  part  taken  by  Her  Majesty's  Government  in  recognising 
the  flag  of  the  Association  as  that  of  a  friendly  Government 
enables  me  to  express  the  satisfaction  with  which  we  view  the 
constitution  of  this  new  State  due  to  the  initiative  of  His  Majesty 
the  King  of  the  Belgians.  For  many  years  the  King,  for  purely 
philanthropic  motives,  has  spared  nothing,  neither  personal  effort 


APPENDIX. 


417 


nor  pecuniary  sacrifice,  that  could  contribute  to  the  realisation  of  1885. 
his  object.    The  world  in  general  regarded  his  efforts  with  iti-    *eb-  ~': 
„  difference.   Here  and  there  His  Majesty  received  a  little  sympathy,  Berlin 
but  it  was  rather  the  sj'mpathy  of  condolence  than  that  of  encou- 
ragement.   It  was  thought  that  the  undertaking  was  beyond  his 
strength,  that  it  was  too  great  to  succeed.    It  is  now  seen  that  the 
King  was  right,  and  that  his  idea  was  not  Utopian.  He  has  brought 
it  to  a  successful  ending,  not  without  difficulties,  but  these  very 
difficulties  have  made  the  success  more  striking.    In  acknowledg- 
ing the  obstacles  which  His  Majesty  has  had  to  contend  with,  we 
most  cordially  greet  the  new-born  State,  and  give  expression  to 
our  sincere  desire  that  it  may  flourish  and  increase  under  his 
protection. 

"  I  may  also  be  permitted  on  this  occasion  to  express  our  acknow- 
ledgments to  the  Government  of  Portugal  and  to  the  Minister  of 
Portugal  at  Berlin  for  the  friendly  reception  which  they  accorded 
to  the  suggestions  we  had  the  honour  to  address  to  them  on  the 
subject  of  an  arrangement  between  Portugal  and  the  Association, 
and  for  the  spirit  of  conciliation  with  which  they  have  brought 
those  negotiations  to  a  successful  close." 

The  Marquis  of  Penafikl,  as  representing  a  Power  bordering  on 
the  Congo  State,  declared  his  participation  in  the  sentiments 
expressed  by  Baron  Courcel  in  his  address  of  welcome  to  the  new 
State. 

Count  de  Launay  joined  most  cordially  in  what  had  been  said  by 
the  President,  by  Baron  Courcel,  and  by  Sir  Edward  Malct.  The 
Powers  here  represented  had  already  almost  unanimously  recognised 
the  new  State  which  had  just  been  founded  under  the  august  patron- 
age of  a  sovereign  who  during  eight  years,  with  a  constancy  rare  and 
worthy  of  great  praise,  had  spared  neither  trouble  nor  personal 
sacrifice  for  the  success  of  a  noble  and  philanthropic  enterprise. 
The  whole  world  bore  witness  by  its  sympathy  and  encouragement 
to  this  work  of  civilisation  and  humanity,  which  was  an  honour  to 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  of  which  mankind  in  general  would 
fur  ever  reap  the  benefit. 

The  Italian  Ambassador  also  joined  with  pleasure  in  the  senti- 
ments expressed  by  the  British  Ambassador,  with  regard  to  the 
Portuguese  Government  and  its  Plenipotentiaries  at  the  Con- 
ference. 

Count  Szechenyi  spoke  to  the  same  effect  as  his  colleagues,  in 
whose  sentiments  he  shared  in  every  respect. 

Count  Benomar  said  that  Spain  was  the  possessor  of  territories 

Vol.  II.- 27 


418 


AFPEXDIX. 


1885.     in  the  neighbourhood  of  those  under  the  control  of  the  Interna- 
eb-  ~>  >'    tional  Association  of  the  Congo.    As  representing  a  neighbouring 
Beilin-    state,  he,  in  the  name  of  his  Government,  fully  supported  all  that 
the  President  had  said  in  favour  of  the  work  of  humanity  and 
civilisation  originated  by  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians. 

M.  de  Yind  was  happy  to  join  in  the  good  wishes  which  had 
already  been  expressed  for  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the  new 
Congo  state.  The  humanitarian  and  civilizing  object  of  its  founders 
was  highly  appreciated  by  the  Danish  Government. 

The  Plenipotentiary  of  Sweden  and  Norway  also  joined  in  the 
good  wishes  at  the  birth  of  the  new  State,  and  in  favour  of  its 
development. 

Mr.  Sanford  said  that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  of 
America  had  been  the  first  to  publicly  acknowledge  the  great 
civilizing  work  of  King  Leopold  II.  by  recognising  the  flag  of  the 
International  Association  of  the  Congo  as  that  of  a  friendly  govern- 
ment. He  was  happy  to  find  that  this  example  had  been  followed 
by  the  Powers  of  the  Old  World,  and  it  only  remained  for  him  to 
express  his  hope  that  he  would  see  the  crowning  of  the  work 
in  the  participation  of  the  Association  in  the  Acts  of  the  Con- 
ference. 

Said  Pasha  regretted  that  he  was  not  yet  able  to  join  officially 
in  the  sympathetic  declarations  of  his  colleagues.  Only  a  few  days 
had  elapsed  since  this  question  of  recognising  the  flag  of  the  Inter- 
national Association  had  arisen.  There  had  not  been  sufficient  time 
for  him  to  receive  his  instructions  on  the  subject,  but  while  await- 
ing those  instructions,  he  could  say  that  personally  he  had  no 
objection  to  the  constitution  of  the  new  State. 

Count  Van  der,  Straten  Ponthoz  thanked  the  President  for  the 
terms  in  which  he  had  spoken  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the 
Belgians.  The  sentiments  thus  expressed  would  be  gratefully 
received  by  the  King  and  the  Belgian  nation;  and  Count  Tan  der 
Straten  Ponthoz  would  convey  those  sentiments  to  them  without 
delay.  He  was  also  bound  to  tell  the  Members  of  the  High 
Assembly  how  deeply  he  was  sensible  of  the  sympathetic  and 
unanimous  approbation  they  had  given  to  what  had  fallen  from 
M.  Busch.  The  praise  bestowed  on  the  initiative  pursued  by  the 
King  of  the  Belgians  despite  so  many  obstacles,  was  praise  well 
merited.  The  Acts  of  the  Conference  gave  practical  expression  to 
His  Majesty's  bold  and  generous  ideas.  The  Government  and  the 
Belgian  nation  would  adhere  with  gratitude  to  the  work  elaborated 
by  the  High  Assembly,  and  thanks  to  which  there  was  henceforth 


ABPENDIX. 


419 


assured  the  existence  of  the  new  State  at  the  same  time  as  regula-  188 
tions  were  laid  down  in  the  general  interest  of  mankind.  Feb- 
Baron  Lambermont  spoke  as  follows  : — 

"  If  the  President  of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo 
had  the  honour  to  sit  amongst  you,  it  would  fall  to  him  to  reply  to 
the  words  we  have  heard  to-day,  and  which  are  so  appreciative  of 
the  King  of  the  Belgians  and  of  his  work.  In  his  absence,  and 
although  representing  His  Majesty  under  another  title,  my  col- 
league and  I  thought  we  might  be  allowed  to  testify  how  fully  we 
are  sensible  of  the  compliment  you  have  paid  to  the  Founder  of  the 
Association. 

"  Count  Van  der  Straten  has  expressed  his  sentiments,  and  in 
them  I  cordially  join.  We  are  well  aware  that  we  cannot  go  too 
far  in  expressing  in  advance  our  gratitude,  for  we  do  so  in  His 
Majesty's  name,  in  recognition  of  the  support  that  his  enterprise 
has  received  amongst  you,  and  which  support  is  not  the  least 
important  guarantee  of  its  success." 

The  President  announces  that  the  letter  of  the  President  of  the 
International  Association  of  the  Congo,  and  the  various  declarations 
it  had  given  rise  to  would  become  the  Protocol  of  the  sitting.  It 
is  considered  convenient  by  many  of  the  Plenipotentiaries  that  in 
order  to  complete  Colonel  Strauch's  communication,  copies  of  the 
different  treaties  by  wrhich  the  International  Association  had  ob- 
tained the  recognition  of  the  several  Governments  should  be  bound 
together  and  annexed  to  the  Protocol. 


DECLARATIONS 

EXCHANGED  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA  AND  THE 
INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  declares  by  these 
presents,  that  in  virtue  of  the  treaties  concluded  with  the  legiti- 
mate sovereigns,  in  the  basins  of  the  Congo  and  Niadi-Kwilu  and 
in  the  territories  bordering  on  the  Atlantic,  there  has  been  ceded 
to  it  a  territory  for  the  use  and  profit  of  the  Free  States,  already 
established,  or  in  course  of  establishment,  under  the  protection  and 
surveillance  of  the  said  Association  in  the  said  basins  and  adjacent 
territories,  and  that  the  said  Free  States  succeed  to  the  full  rights  of 
this  cession. 

That  the  said  International  Association  has  adopted  as  its  flag  as 


420 


APPENDIX. 


1884.     well  for  itself  as  for  the  said  Free  States  the  flag  of  the  International 
April  22.  African  Association,  that  is  to  say,  a  blue  flag  with  a  golden  star  in 
tl.e  centre. 

That  the  said  Association  and  the  said  States  have  resolved  to 
levy  no  customs  dues  on  goods  or  products  imported  into  their 
territories,  or  carried  on  the  roads  that  have  been  constructed  round 
the  cataracts  of  the  Congo ;  this  resolution  has  been  taken  so  as  to 
encourage  trade  in  making  its  way  into  Equatorial  Africa. 

That  they  assure  to  strangers  who  settle  in  their  territories  the 
right  to  buy,  sell,  or  lease  the  lands  and  buildings  therein  situated, 
to  establish  houses  of  business,  and  to  trade  on  the  sole  condition 
of  obeying  the  laws.  They  undertake  in  addition  never  to  accord 
an  advantage  to  the  citizens  of  one  nation  without  immediately 
extending  the  same  to  all  other  nations,  and  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  stop  the  slave-trade. 

In  witness  whereof,  Henry  S.  Sanford,  duly  authorised  to  that 
effect  by  the  said  Association,  acting  for  it,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
said  estates  has  hereto  affixed  his  signature  and  his  seal  the  22nd 
of  April,  1884,  at  the  city  of  Washington, 

(Signed)         H.  S.  Sanford. 

L.S. 

Frederic  T.  Frelinghuysen,  Secretary  of  State,  duly  authorized 
to  that  effect  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and 
in  conformity  with  the  advice  and  consent  given  to  that  effect  by 
the  Senate,  acknowledges  to  have  received  from  the  Association  of 
the  Congo  the  above  declaration,  and  declares  that  in  accordance 
with  the  traditional  policy  of  the  United  States,  which  enjoins  their 
careful  attention  to  the  commercial  interests  of  American  citizens, 
avoiding  at  the  same  time  all  interference  in  the  controversies 
engaged  in  between  other  powers,  or  the  conclusion  of  alliances 
with  foreign  nations,  the  Government  of  the  United  States  declares 
its  sympathy  with  and  approbation  of  the  humane  and  noble  object 
of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  acting  in  the  interest 
of  the  Free  States  established  in  that  region,  and  commands  all 
officers  of  the  United  States,  either  on  land  or  sea,  to  recognize  the 
flag  of  the  International  Association  as  that  of  a  friendly  Govern- 
ment. 

In  witness  whereof,  he  has  hereunder  affixed  his  signature  and 
his  seal  this  22nd  of  April,  1884,  in  the  city  of  Washington. 

(Signed)         Fred.  T.  Frelinghuysen. 

L.S. 


APPENDIX. 


421 


1884. 

Nov.  8. 

CONVENTION  Brussels. 

BETWEEN  THIS  EMPIRE  OF  GERMANY  AND  THE  INTERNATIONAL 
ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

Article  I. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  undertakes  to  levy- 
no  duties  on  articles  or  goods  imported  director  in  transit  in  their 
possessions,  present  and  future,  in  the  basins  of  the  Congo  and  the 
Niadi-Kwilu,  or  in  its  possessions  situated  on  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  This  freedom  from  duties  shall  especially  extend 
to  goods  and  articles  of  commerce  which  are  transported  on  the 
roads  established  round  the  cataracts  of  the  Congo. 

Article  II. 

The  subjects  of  the  German  Empire  shall  have  the  right  of  re- 
siding or  settling  in  the  territories  of  the  Association.  They  shall 
be  treated  on  the  same  footing  as  the  subjects  of  the  most  favoured 
nation  therein,  including  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  in  all 
that  concerns  the  protection  of  their  persons  or  their  goods,  the  free 
exercise  of  their  religion,  the  claiming  and  defence  of  their  rights, 
in  matters  of  the  navigation  as  well  as  in  those  of  commerce  and 
industry. 

Especially  they  sball  have  the  right  to  buy  and  sell,  and  lease 
lands  and  buildings  situated  on  the  territories  of  the  Association, 
to  found  houses  of  business,  and  to  engage  therein  in  commerce  and 
coasting  trade  under  the  German  flag. 

Article  III. 

The  Association  undertakes  never  to  accord  the  least  advantage 
to  the  subjects  of  another  nation,  unless  such  advantage  is  immedi- 
ately extended  to  German  subjects. 

Article  IV. 

In  case  of  the  present  or  future  cession  of  the  territory  of  the 
Association  or  of  a  part  of  that  territory^,  the  obligations  contracted 
by  the  Association  towards  the  Empire  of  Germany  shall  be  trans- 


422 


APPENDIX. 


1884.  ferred  to  the  acquirer.  These  obligations  and  rights  granted  by 
Sov-  8-  the  Association  to  the  Empire  of  Germany  and  to  its  subjects 
ruesels.  shaii  remain  in  force  after  every  cession  to  each  new  acquirer. 

Article  V. 

The  Empire  of  Germany  recognises  the  flag  of  the  Association 
— a  bluo  flag  with  a  golden  star  in  the  centre — as  that  of  a 
friendly  state. 

Article  VI. 

The  Empire  of  Germany  is  ready  on  its  part  to  recognise  the 
frontiers  of  the  territory  of  the  Association,  and  of  the  new  state 
about  to  be  founded,  as  indicated  on  the  map  annexed  hereto. 

Article  VII. 

This  Convention  shall  be  ratified,  and  the  ratifications  shall  be 
exchanged  with  the  least  possible  delay.  This  Convention  shall 
come  into  force  immediately  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications. 
Done  at  Brussels,  the  8th  of  November,  1884. 

(Signed)  Count  de  Brandenbourg. 

Strauch. 


DECLARATIONS 

exchanged  between  the  government  of  her  britannic  majesty 
and  the  international  association  of  the  congo. 

Declaration  of  the  Association. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  founded  by  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians  with  the  object  of  encouraging 
the  civilization  and  commerce  of  Africa  and  also  with  humani- 
tarian and  philanthropic  intentions,  declares  by  these  presents  as 
follows  : — 

1.  That  by  treaties  concluded  with  the  legitimate  sovereigns 
whose  States  are  situated  in  the  basins  of  the  Congo  and  the 
Niadi-Kwilu,  and  in  the  territories  bordering  on  the  Atlantic, 
there  has  been  ceded  to  it  certain  territories  for  the  use  and 
profit  of  Free  States  established  or  to  be  establised  in  the  said 
basins  and  adjacent  territories. 


APPENDIX. 


423 


2.  That  in  virtue  of  these  treaties,  the  Association  is  invested  1884 
with  the  administration  of  the  interests  of  the  said  Free  States. 

3.  That  the  Association  has  adopted  as  its  flag  and  that  of  the  Brussel 
Free  States  a  blue  flag  with  a  golden  star  in  the  centre. 

4.  That  with  the  object  of  allowing  commerce  to  make  its  way 
into  Equatorial  Africa,  the  Association  and  the  said  Free  States 
have  resolved  to  levy  no  duty  on  articles  of  commerce  or  mer- 
chandize imported  direct  into  their  territories,  or  introduced  by 
the  roads  which  have  been  constructed  round  the  cataracts  of  the 
Congo. 

5.  That  the  Association  and  the  said  Free  States  guarantee  to 
foreigners  settled  in  their  territories  the  free  exercise  of  their 
religion,  the  rights  of  navigation,  trade,  and  industry,  as  well  as 
the  right  to  buy,  sell,  and  lease  land,  buildings,  mines  and  forests 
on  condition  of  obedience  to  the  laws. 

6.  That  the  Association  and  the  said  Free  States  shall  do  all  in 
their  power  to  put  an  end  to  the  slave  trade  and  suppress  slavery. 
Done  at  Berlin,  the  16th  of  December,  1884. 

(Signed)  Straucii. 

In  the  name  of  the  Association. 

Declaration  of  thk:  Government  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty. 

The  Government  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty  declares  that  it 
accords  its  sympathy  and  approbation  to  the  humanitarian  and 
philanthropic  objects  of  the  Association  and,  by  these  presents,  re- 
cognises the  flag  of  the  Association  and  the  Free  States  under  its 
administration  as  the  flag  of  a  friendly  Government. 

(Signed)  Edward  Mai.et. 

In  the  name  of  Her  Kajcstys  Government. 


CONVENTION 

BETWEEN  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  HER  BRITANNIC  MAJESTY  AND  THE 
INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

Seeing  that  the  Government  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty  has  recog- 
nised the  flag  of  the  Internat'onal  Association  of  the  Congo  and 
the  Free  States  under  its  administration  as  the  flag  of  a  friendly 
Government ; 


424 


APPENDIX. 


1884.        Being  of  opinion  that  it  is  advisable  to  regulate  and  define  the 
)ec.  1G.   rjghts  0f  British  subjects  in  the  territories  of  the  said  Free  States, 
1,01  lin'    and  to  provide  for  such  matters  concerning  the  exercise  of  civil 
and  criminal  jurisdiction  as  shall  be  indicated  hereunder  until  the 
Association  shall  have  provided  in  a  sufficient  manner  for  the 
administration  of  justice  with  regard  to  foieigners, 
It  has  been  agreed  : 

Article  I. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  undertakes  to  levy 
no  duties  of  importation  or  transit  on  articles  of  commerce  or  mer- 
chandise imported  by  British  subjects  into  the  said  territories,  or 
into  the  territories  which  hereafter  may  be  placed  under  its 
Government.  This  freedom  from  duty  shall  extend  to  merchandise 
and  articles  of  commerce  which  shall  be  transported  by  the  roads 
and  canals  established  or  to  be  established  round  the  cataracts  of 
the  Congo. 

Article  II. 

British  subjects  shall  at  all  times  have  the  right  to  reside  and 
settle  in  the  territories  which  are  or  shall  be  under  the  government 
of  the  Association.  They  shall  enjoy  the  same  protection  as  sub- 
jects or  citizens  of  the  most  favoured  nation  in  all  matters  which 
affect  their  persons  and  their  goods,  the  free  exercise  of  their  reli- 
gion, and  the  rights  of  navigation,  commerce,  and  industry.  Espe- 
cially they  shall  have  the  right  to  buy,  sell,  lease,  and  let  lands, 
buildings,  mines,  and  forests  within  the  said  territories ;  to  found 
houses  of  business,  and  to  engage  in  commerce  and  coasting  trade 
therein  under  the  British  flag. 

Article  III. 

The  Association  undertakes  to  accord  no  advantage,  however 
trifling,  to  the  subjects  of  another  nation,  unless  such  advantage  is 
immediately  extended  to  British  subjects. 

Article  IV. 

Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  Great  Britan  and  Ireland  may  nomi- 
nate consuls  or  other  consular  agents  in  the  ports  or  stations  on 
the  said  territories,  and  the  Association  undertakes  to  protect  them 
therein. 


APPENDIX. 


425 


Article  V.  1884. 

Dec.  10. 

Every  British  consul  or  consular  agent  who  shall  have  been  duly  Berlin, 
authorised  by  the  Government  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty,  shall 
have  power  to  establish  a  consular  tribunal  for  the  district  assigned 
to  him,  and  shall  exercise  sole  and  exclusive  jurisdiction,  civil  as 
well  as  criminal,  with  regard  to  the  persons  and  property  of 
British  subjects  within  the  said  district,  in  accordance  with  the 
British  laws. 

Article  VI. 

Nothing  contained  in  the  preceding  article  shall,  absolve  any 
British  subject  from  the  obligation  of  observing  the  laws  of  the 
said  Free  States  applicable  to  foreigners,  but  all  infraction  of  those 
laws  on  the  part  of  a  British  subject  shall  be  referred  to  the  British 
consular  tribunal. 

Article  VI I. 

If  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  territories  which  are  subject  to 
the  Government  of  the  Association  do  any  injury  to  the  person  or 
property  of  a  British  subject,  they  shall  be  arrested  and  punished 
by  the  authorities  of  the  Association  conformably  to  the  laws  of 
the  said  Free  States.  Justice  shall  be  administered  equitably  and 
impartially  on  both  sides. 

Article  VIII. 

A  British  subject  having  grounds  of  complaint  against  an  in- 
habitant of  the  said  territories,  subject  to  the  government  of  the 
Association,  shall  apply  to  the  British  Consulate  and  there  detail 
his  grievance--. 

The  Consul  shall  make  an  inquiry  to  ascertain  that  the  com- 
plaint is  well  founded,  and  will  do  his  utmost  to  arrange  it  ami- 
cably. In  the  same  way,  if  any  inhabitant  of  the  same  territories 
shall  have  cause  of  complaint  against  a  British  subject,  the  British 
counsel  shall  hear  his  complaint  and  do  his  utmost  to  arrange  the 
matter  amicably.  If  differences  arise  of  such  nature  that  the 
British  Consul  cannot  arrange  them  amicably,  he  shall  have  re- 
course to  the  authorities  of  the  Association  to  examine  into  the 
matter  and  end  it  equitably. 


420 


APPENDIX. 


1884.  Article  IX. 

Dec  16. 

Berlin.  If  an  inhabitant  of  the  said  territories  subject  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Association  should  fail  to  pay  any  debt  contracted 
Avith  a  British  subject,  the  authorities  of  the  Association  shall  do 
all  in  their  power  to  bring  him  to  justice  and  procure  the  recovery 
of  the  said  debt ;  and  if  a  British  subject  should  fail  in  the  pay- 
ment of  any  debt  contracted  with  one  of  the  inhabitants,  the  British 
authorities  shall  in  the  same  way  do  their  utmost  to  bring  him  to 
justice  and  procure  the  recovery  of  the  debt.  No  British  Consul 
and  no  authority  of  the  Association  shall  be  held  responsible  for 
a  debt  contracted  by  a  British  subject,  nor  by  any  inhabitant  of 
the  said  territories  who  is  subject  to  the  government  of  the  Asso- 
ciati 

Article  X. 

In  case  of  the  cession  of  any  tarritory  which  now  or  in  the  future 
shall  be  under  the  government  of  the  Association,  the  obligations 
contracted  by  the  Association  in  the  present  Convention  shall  apply 
to  the  grantee.  The  engagements  and  rights  accorded  to  British 
subjects  shall  remain  in  force  after  every  cession  with  regard  to 
every  new  occupant  of  every  part  of  the  said  territory. 

This  Convention  shall  be  ratified,  and  the  ratifications  shall  be 
exchanged  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  This  Convention  shall 
come  into  force  immediately  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications. 

Done  at  Berlin,  the  16th  of  December,  eighteen  hundred  and 
eighty-four. 

(Signed)  Edward  Malet. 

Strauch. 


CONVENTION 

BETWEEN  THE  NETHERLANDS  AND  THE  INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION 
OF  THE  CONGO. 

Article  I. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  undertakes  to  levy 
no  duties  of  importation,  or  transit  on  merchandise,  or  articles  of 
commerce,  imported  by  Dutch  subjects  within  the  present  or  future 
possessions  of  the  Association.    The  freedom  from  duties  shall  ex- 


APPENDIX. 


427 


Brussels. 


tend  to  merchandise  and  articles  of  commerce  transported  on  the  1884. 
roads  or  canals  which  are  or  shall  be  established  round  the  cataracts   ^)oc•  27' 
of  the  Congo. 

Article  II. 

Dutch  subjects  shall  at  all  times  have  the  right  to  reside  or  settle 
in  the  teiritories  which  are  or  shall  be  subject  to  the  Association. 
They  shall  enjoy  the  protection  accorded  to  subjects  or  citizens  of 
the  most  favoured  nation  in  all  matters  concerning  their  peisons, 
their  property,  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion,  and  the  rights  of 
navigation,  commerce  and  industry  ;  they  shall  especially  have  the 
right  to  buy  and  sell,  let  and  lease  land,  mines,  forests,  and  build- 
ings in  the  said  territories;  to  found  therein  houses  of  bu-iness, 
and  carry  on  commerce  and  coasting  trade  under  the  Dutch  flag. 


Article  III. 

The  Association  undertakes  to  grant  no  advantage  whatsoever 
to  the  subjects  another  nation,  unless  such  advantages  are  im- 
mediately extended  to  Dutch  subjects. 

Article  IV. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Netherlands  has  the  right  to  nominate 
Consuls  or  Consular  Agents  in  the  ports  or  stations  of  the  said 
territories,  and  the"  Association,  undertakes  to  protect  them. 


Article  V 

Until  the  administration  of  justice  shall  have  been  organized  in 
the  Free  States  of  the  Congo,  and  until  that  organization  shall 
have  been  notified  by  the  Association,  every  Dutch  Consul  or  Con- 
sular Agent,  who  has  been  duly  authorized  by  the  Government  of 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  may  establish  a  Consular 
tribunal  for  the  extent  of  the  district  assigned  to  him,  and  in  that 
case  will  exercise  sole  and  exclusive  jurisdiction,  civil  as  well  as 
ciiminal,  with  regard  to  the  persons  and  property  of  Dutch,  sub- 
jects within  the  f-aid  district,  conformably  to  the  laws  of  the 
Netherlands. 

Article  VL 

Nothing  contained  in  the  foregoing  article  shall  absolve  any 
Dutch  subject  from  the  obligation  of  observing  the  laws  of  the 


428 


APPENDIX. 


1884.  Free  States  applicable  to  foreigners,  but  all  infractions  thereof  on 
*ec-  -  '•  the  part  of  a  Dutch  subject  shall  be  referred  to  a  Dutch  Consular 
lusse,s-  tribunal. 

Article  VII. 

If  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  countries,  who  are  subjects  of  the 
government  of  the  As>ociation,  do  any  injury  to  the  person  or  pro- 
perty of  a  Dutch  subject,  they  shall  be  arrested  and  punished  by 
the  authorities  of  the  Association,  conformably  to  the  laws  of  the 
said  Free  States.  Justice  shall  be  administered  equitably  and 
impartially  on  both  sides. 

Article  VIII. 

A  Dutch  subject  having  grounds  of  complaint  against  an  in- 
habitant of  the  said  territories  subject  to  the  government  of  the 
Association  shall  apply  to  the  Dutch  Consulate,  and  there  detail  his 
grievance.  The  Consul  shall  proceed  to  enquire  if  the  same  be  well- 
founded,  and  do  all  in  h;s  power  to  arrange  the  matter  amicably. 
In  the  same  way,  if  any  inhabitant  of  the  said  territories  has  any 
complaint  concerning  a  Dutch  subject,  the  Dutch  Consul  shall  hear 
the  complaint,  and  do  his  utmost  to  arrange  the  difficulty  amicably. 
If  differences  arise  of  such  a  nature  that  the  Consul  cannot  arrange 
them  amicably,  he  shall  then  have  recourse  to  the  authorities  of 
the  Association,  for  them  to  examine  into  the  matter  and  end  it 
equitably. 

Article  IX. 

If  an  inhabitant  of  the  said  territories  subject  to  the  government 
of  the  Association  shall  fail  in  the  payment  of  a  debt  contracted 
with  a  Dutch  subject,  the  authorities  of  the  Association  shall  do  all 
in  their  power  to  bring  him  to  justice,  and  procure  the  recovery  of 
the  debt,  and  if  a  Dutch  subject  shall  fail  in  the  payment  of  a  debt 
contracted  with  one  of  the  inhabitants,  the  Dutch  authorities  shall 
do  all  in  their  power  to  bring  him  to  justice,  and  procure  the 
recovery  of  the  debt. 

No  Dutch  Consul  nor  any  authority  of  the  Association  shall  be 
held  responsible  for  the  payment  of  a  debt  contracted  by  an  in- 
habitant of  any  of  the  territories  subject  to  the  government  of  the 
Association  or  by  any  Dutch  subject. 

Article  X. 

In  the  event  of  the  cession  of  the  territory  now  under  the 
government  of  the  Association,  or  which  shall  be  so  at  any  future 


APPENDIX. 


429 


time,  or  of  any  part  of  the  said  territory,  all  the  obligations  con-  1884. 
tracted  by  the  Association  in  the  present  Convention  shall  be   ^ec"  27 
binding  on  the  grantee.    These  arrangements  and  rights  accorded  russe 
to  Dutch  subjects  shall  remain  in  force  after  the  cession  with  re- 
gard to  any  new  occupant  of  no  matter  what  part  of  the  said 
territory. 

Article  XL 

The  Association  and  the  Free  States  engage  to  do  all  in  their 
power  to  put  an  end  to  the  slave-trade  and  suppress  slavery. 


Article  XII. 

The  Kingdom  of  the  Netherlands,  according  its  sympathy  to  the 
humanitarian  and  civilising  object  of  the  Association,  recognizes 
the  flag  of  the  Association  and  the  Free  States  placed  under  its 
administration — a  blue  flag  with  a  gohlen  star  in  the  centre  — as  the 
flag  of  a  friendly  Government. 

Article  XIII. 

This  Convention  shall  be  ratified,  and  the  ratifications  shall  be 
exchanged  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  It  shall  come  into  force 
immediately  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications. 

In  witness  whereof  the  respective  Plenipotentiaries  have  signed 
it,  and  to  it  have  affixed  the  seal  of  their  coat  of  arms. 

Done  at  Brussels,  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  the  month  of 
December,  of  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-four. 

(Signed)  L.  Gericke. 

Strauch. 


CONVENTION 

BETWEEN  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  FRENCH  REPUBLIC  AND  THE 
INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

Article  I. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  declares  that  it 
extends  to  France  the  advantages  it  has  conceded  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  to  the  Empire  of  Germany,  to  England,  to 
Italy,  to  Austro-Hungary,  to  the  Netherlands,  and  to  Spain,  in 


430 


APPENDIX. 


1685.     virtue  of  the  Convention  it  has  concluded  with  the  several  Powers 
PaHs5*    of  tbe  resPective  dates  of  the  22nd  of  April,  the  8th  of  November, 
the  16th,  19th,  24th,  and  29th  of  December,  1884,  and  the  7th  of 
January,  1885,  and  of  which  the  texts  are  annexed  to  the  present 
Convention. 

Article  II. 

The  Association  undertakes,  in  addition,  to  accord  no  advantages 
of  any  nature  whatsoever  to  the  subjects  of  another  nation  without 
immediately  extending  those  advantages  to  French  citizens. 


Article  III. 

The  Government  of  the  French  Eepublic  and  the  Association 
adopt  for  the  frontiers  between  their  possessions : 

The  River  Chiloango  from  the  ocean  to  its  most  northerly 
source ; 

The  crest  of  the  water-parting  of  the  Niadi-Kwilu  and  the  Congo 
as  far  as  the  meridian  of  Manyanga ; 

A  line  to  be  determined,  and  which,  following  as  much  as 
possible,  a  natural  division  of  the  ground  terminates  between  the 
station  of  Manyanga  and  the  cataract  of  Ntombo  Mataka  in  a  point 
situated  on  the  navigable  portion  of  the  river  ; 

The  Congo  to  Stanley  Pool ; 

The  centre  line  of  Stanley  Pool ; 

The  Congo  to  a  point  to  be  determined  up  the  stream  of  the 
River  Licona-Nkundja ; 

A  line  to  be  determined  from  that  point  to  the  17th  degree  of 
longitude  east  from  Greenwich,  following  as  much  as  possible  the 
line  of  the  water-parting  of  the  basin  of  the  Licona-Nkundja, 
which  forms  part  of  the  French  possessions ; 

The  17th  degree  of  longitude  east  from  Greenwich. 


Article  IV. 

A  Commission  composed  of  representatives  of  the  contracting 
parties,  equal  in  number  on  both  sides,  shall  be  entrusted  with 
executing  on  the  spot  the  laying  out  of  the  frontier  conformably 
to  the  preceding  stipulations.  In  case  of  dispute  the  matter  shall 
be  referred  to  delegates  nominated  by  the  International  Commission 
of  the  Congo. 


APPENDIX. 


431 


Article  V.  1884. 

Feb.  5. 

Under  the  reservation  of  the  arrangements  about  to  take  place  Paris, 
between  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo  and  Portugal 
for  the  territories  situated  to  the  south  of  the  Chiloango,  the  Go- 
vernment of  the  French  Republic  is  disposed  to  recognise  the 
neutrality  of  the  possessions  of  the  International  Association  within 
the  frontiers  shown  on  the  annexed  map,  subject  to  the  discussion 
and  regulation  of  the  conditions  of  that  neutrality  in  accord  with 
the  other  Powers  represented  at  the  Berlin  Conference. 

Article  VI. 

The  Government  of  the  French  Republic  recognises  the  flag  of 
the  International  Association  of  the  Congo — a  blue  flag  with  a 
golden  star  in  the  centre— as  the  flag  of  a  friendly  Government. 

In  witness  whereof  the  respective  Plenipotentiaries  have  signed 
the  present  Convention,  and  to  it  affixed  their  seals. 

Done  at  Paris,  the  5th  of  February,  1885. 

(Signed)    Jules  Ferry.  (L.S.) 

Comte  Paul  de  Borchgrave  d'Altena  (L.S.) 


CONVENTION 

BETWEEN  PORTUGAL  AND  THE  INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OB1  THE 

CONGO. 

Article  I. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  declares  that  it 
extends  to  Portugal  the  advantages  it  has  conceded  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  to  the  Empire  of  Germany,  to  England,  to  Italy, 
to  Austro-Hungary,  to  the  Netherlands,  to  Spain,  to  France  and  to 
the  United  Kingdoms  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  in  virtue  of  the 
Conventions  it  has  concluded  with  these  several  Powers  of  the  re- 
spective dates  of  the  22nd  of  April,  the  8th  of  November,  the  16th, 
19th,  24th,  and  29th  of  December,  1884,  the  7th  of  January,  the 
5th  and  10th  of  February,  1885,  and  of  which  the  Association 
un  lertakes  to  remit  authentic  copies  to  the  Government  of  His 
Most  Faithful  Majesty. 


432 


APPENDIX. 


1885.  Article  IT. 

Feb.  14 

Berlin.  The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  undertakes  in  addi- 
tion to  accord  no  advantages  of  any  kind  whatsoever  to  the  sub- 
jects of  another  nation  without  immediately  extending  thoee 
advantages  to  the  subjects  of  His  Most  Faithful  Majesty 

Article  III. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  and  His  Most  Faith- 
ful Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Algarves  adopt  for 
frontiers  between  their  possessions  in  Western  Africa  the  follow- 
ing :— 

To  the  north  of  the  River  Congo  (Zaire)  the  right  bank  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river  which  enters  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  south  of 
the  Bay  of  Cabinda,  close  to  Ponta  Vermelha,  at  Cabo-Lombo ; 

The  parallel  of  this  last  point  prolonged  up  to  its  intersection 
with  the  meridian  of  the  junction  of  the  Culacalla  with  the 
Luculla ; 

The  meridian  thus  determined  to  its  meeting  with  the  River 
Luculla ; 

The  course  of  the  Luculla  to  its  junction  with  the  Chiloango 
(Luango  Luce) ; 

The  course  of  the  Congo  (Zaire)  from  its  mouth  to  its  junction 
with  the  small  river  of  Uango-Uango ; 

The  meridian  which  passes  through  the  mouth  of  the  small 
River  Uango-Uango  between  the  Dutch  factory  and  the  Portuguese 
factory,  so  as  to  leave  the  latter  in  Portuguese  territory  up  to  the 
meeting  of  the  meridian  with  the  parallel  of  Nokk ; 

The  parallel  of  Nokk  to  its  intersection  with  the  River  Kuango 
(Cuango) ; 

From  this  point  southwards  the  course  of  the  Kuango  (Cuango). 
Article  IV. 

A  Commission  composed  of  representatives  of  the  contracting 
parties  equal  in  number  on  both  sides  shall  be  intrusted  with  the 
execution  on  the  spot  of  the  laying  out  of  the  frontier  conformably 
to  the  foregoing  stipulations.  In  case  of  dispute  the  matier  shall 
be  referred  to  delegates  nominated  by  the  International  Commis- 
sion of  the  Congo. 


APPENDIX. 


433 


Article  V.  1885. 

Feb.  14. 

His  Most  Faithful  Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Algarves  Berlin, 
is  disposed  to  recognise  the  neutrality  of  the  possessions  of  the  In- 
ternational Association  of  the  Congo,  subject  to  the  discussion  and 
regulation  of  that  neutrality  in  accord  with  the  other  powers  repre- 
sented at  the  Berlin  Conference. 

Article  VI. 

His  Most  Faithful  Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Algarves 
recognises  the  flag  of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo— 
a  blue  flag  with  a  goldon  star  in  the  centre  -  as  the  flag  of  a  friendly 
Government. 

Article  VII. 

The  present  Convention  shall  be  ratified,  and  the  ratifications 
shall  be  exchanged  at  Paris  within  three  months,  or  sooner  if 
possible. 

In  witness  whereof  the  Plenipotentiaries  of  the  two  contracting 
parties,  and  His  Excellency  the  Baron  de  Courcel,  Ambassador  Ex- 
traordinary and  Plenipotentiary  of  France  at  Berlin,  as  representing 
the  mediating  Power,  have  signed  the  present  Convention,  and 
thereto  affixed  their  seals. 

Done  in  triplicate  at  Berlin,  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month  of 
February,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

(Signed)       Marquis  de  Penafiel. 
Strauch. 
Alph  de  Courcel. 


DECLARATIONS 

EXCHANGED  BETWEEN  THE  BELGIAN  GOVERNMKXT  AND  THE 
INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  declares  by  these 
presents  that  in  virtue  of  treaties  concluded  with  the  legitimate 
sovereigns  in  the  basin  of  the  Congo  and  its  tributaries,  it  has 
been  ceded  the  sovereignty  of  vast  territories  with  the  object  of 
founding  a  free  and  independent  St  ite  ;  that  Conventions  define  the 
frontiers  of  the  territories  of  the  Association  as  regards  those  of 

Vol.  II.— 28 


434 


APPENDIX. 


France  and  Portugal,  and  that  the  frontiers  of  the  Association  are 
eb.  23.    s]10wn  on  ^.])e  aimexec1  map. 

That  the  said  Association  has  adopted  as  the  flag  of  the  State 
administered  by  it  a  blue  flag  with  a  star  of  gold  in  its  centre. 

That  the  said  Association  has  resolved  to  levy  no  customs  duties  on 
merchandise  or  products  imported  into  its  territories  or  transported 
on  the  roads  which  have  been  constructed  round  the  cataracts  of 
the  Congo  ;  this  resolution  has  been  taken  so  as  to  encourage  trade 
to  make  its  way  into  Equatorial  Africa. 

That  it  assures  to  foreigners  who  settle  in  its  territories  the 
right  to  buy,  sell,  and  lease  ground  and  buildings  situated  thereon, 
to  establish  houses  of  business,  and  trade  under  the  sole  condition 
of  obeying  the  laws.  It  undertakes,  in  addition,  to  accord  no 
advantage  to  the  citizens  of  one  nation  without  immediately 
extending  it  to  the  citizens  of  all  other  nations,  and  to  do  all  in 
its  power  to  put  down  the  slave  trade. 

In  witness  whereof  the  President  of  the  Association  acting  for  it 
has  hereunder  affixed  his  signature  and  his  seal. 

Berlin,  the  twenty-third  day  of  the  month  of  February,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

(Signed)  Strauch. 

The  Belgian  Government  takes  note  of  the  declaration  of  the 
International  Association  of  the  Congo,  and  by  these  presents 
recognises  the  Association  within  the  boundaries  stated,  and  recog- 
nises its  flag  as  that  of  a  friendly  State. 

In  witness  wrhereof  the  undersigned,  duly  authorized,  have  affixed 
their  signature  and  seal. 

Berlin,  the  twenty-third  day  of  the  month,  of  February,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

(Signed)         Cte.  Aug.  van  der  Straten  Ponthoz, 
Baron  Lambermont. 


PEOTOCOL,  No.  10. 
Sitting  of  the  26th  of  February,  1885. 

Present : 

For  Germany  :  Prince  Bismarck  ;  M.  Busch  ;  M.  de  Kusserow. 
For  Austro-Hungary  :  Count  Szechenyi. 

For  Belgium :  Count  Van  per  Straten  Ponthoz  ;  Baron  Lamber- 
mont. 


APPENDIX. 


435 


For  Denmark  :  M.  de  Vind.  1885. 
For  Spain  :  Count  de  Benomar.  Feb'  26 

For  the  United  States  of  America  :   Mr.  John  A.  Kasson  ;  Mr.  Berlin" 

Henry  S.  Sanford. 
For  France  :  Baron  de  Courcel. 
For  Great  Britain  :  Sir  Edward  Malet. 
For  Italy  :  Count  de  Launay. 

For  the  Netherlands :  The  Johkheer  van  der  Hoeven. 

For  Portugal :  Marquis  de  Penafiel  ;  M.  de  Serpa  Pimentel. 

For  Eussia  :  Count  Kapnist. 

For  Sweden  and  Norway  :  General  Baron  Bildt. 

For  Turkey  :  Said  Tasha. 

The  sitting  opened  at  half- past  two  o'clock,  under  the  Presi- 
dency of  His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Bismarck. 

The  President  expressed  his  regret  at  having  been  prevented 
by  the  state  of  his  health  and  the  pressure  of  business  from  sharing 
in  the  whole  of  the  labours  of  the  High  Assembly  which  he,  how- 
ever, had  followed  with  much  interest. 

His  Serene  Highness  then  delivered  the  following  address  : — 

"  Gentlemen, — Our  Conference  after  long  and  laborious  delibera- 
tions, has  reached  the  end  of  its  work,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that 
thanks  to  your  efforts  and  to  that  spirit  of  conciliation  which  has 
presided  over  our  proceedings,  a  complete  accord  has  been  come  to 
on  every  point  of  the  programme  submitted  to  us. 

"  The  resolutions  which  we  are  about  to  sanction  formally  secure 
to  the  trade  of  all  nations  free  access  to  the  interior  of  the  African 
Continent.  The  guarantees  by  which  the  freedom  of  trade  will  be 
assured  in  tho  Congo  basin,  and  the  whole  of  the  arrangements 
embodied  in  the  rules  for  the  navigation  of  the  Congo  and  the 
Niger,  are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  afford  the  commerce  and  industry 
of  all  nations  the  most  favourable  conditions  for  their  development 
and  security. 

11  In  another  series  of  regulations  you  have  shown  your  solicitude 
for  the  moral  and  material  welfare  of  the  native  population,  and 
we  may  hope  that  those  principles  adopted  in  a  spirit  of  wise 
moderation  will  bear  fruit,  and  help  to  familiarise  those  populations 
with  the  benefits  of  civilisation. 

"  The  particular  conditions  under  which  are  placed  the  vast 
regions  you  have  just  opened  up  to  commercial  enterprise  have 
seemed  to  require  special  guarantees  for  the  preservation  of  peace 
and  public  order.  In  fact,  the  scourge  of  war  would  become  par- 
ticularly disastrous  if  the  natives  were  led  to  take  sides  in  the 


436 


APPLXDIX. 


1885.     disputes  between  the  civilised  Powers.   Justly  apprehensive  of  the 
°h"  7"    dangers  that  such  an  event  might  have  for  the  interests  of  com- 
er  m'    merce  and  civilisation,  you  have  sought  for  the  means  of  with- 
drawing a  great  part  of  the  African  Continent  from  the  vicissitudes 
of  general  politics,  in  confining  therein  the  rivalry  of  nations  to 
peaceful  emulation  in  trade  and  industry. 

"In  the  same  manner  you  have  endeavoured  to  avoid  all  mis- 
understanding and  dispute  to  which  fresh  annexations  on  the  African 
coast  might  give  rise.  The  declaration  of  the  formalities  required 
before  such  annexations  can  be  considered  effective  introduces  a 
new  rule  into  public  law,  which  in  its  turn  will  remove  many  a 
cause  of  dissent  and  conflict  from  our  international  relations. 

"  The  spirit  of  mutual  good  understanding  which  has  distin- 
guished your  deliberations  has  also  presided  over  the  negotiations 
that  have  been  carried  on  outside  the  Conference,  with  a  view  to 
arrange  the  difficult  question  of  delimitation  between  the  parties 
exercising  sovereign  rights  in  the  Congo  basin,  and  which  by  their 
position  are  destined  to  be  the  chief  guardians  of  the  work  we  are 
about  to  sanction. 

"  I  cannot  touch  on  this  subject  without  bearing  testimony  to 
the  noble  efforts  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  the 
founder  of  a  work  which  now  has  gained  the  recognition  of  almost 
all  the  Powers,  and  which  as  it  grows  will  render  valuable  service 
to  the  cause  of  humanity. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  requested  by  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  and 
King,  my  august  Master,  to  convey  to  you  his  warmest  thanks  for 
the  part  each  of  you  has  taken  in  the  felicitous  accomplishment  of 
the  work  of  the  Conference. 

"  I  fulfil  a  final  duty  in  gratefully  acknowledging  what  the  Con- 
ference owes  to  those  of  its  members  who  undertook  the  hard  work 
of  the  Commission,  notably  to  the  Baron  de  Courcel  and  to  Baron 
Lambermont.  I  have  also  to  thank  the  delegates  for  the  valuable 
assistance  they  have  rendered  us,  and  I  include  in  this  expression 
of  thanks  the  secretaries  of  the  Conference,  who  have  facilitated 
our  deliberations  by  the  accuracy  of  their  work. 

"  Like  the  other  labours  of  man,  the  work  of  this  Conference 
may  be  improved  upon  and  perfected,  but  it  will,  I  hope,  mark  an 
advance  in  the  development  of  international  relations,  and  form  a 
new  bond  of  union  between  the  nations  of  the  civilised  world." 
Count  de  Launay  then  spoke  as  follows  : — 
"  Gentlemen,  we  are  all  of  us  very  pleased  to  see  His  Serene 
Highness  Prince  Bismarck  once  more  amongst  us. 


APPENDIX. 


437 


"  We  have  the  honour  to  thank  him  for  his  speech,  which  bore  1885. 
the  mark  of  such  perfect  courtesy,  and  for  his  flattering  opinion  ^ ~( 
of  the  efforts  which  have  resulted  in  our  general  agreement. 

"  As  you  have  just  heard,  he  has  been  prevented,  much  against 
his  inclination,  from  presiding  in  person  at  all  our  sittings,  but 
his  mighty  mind  has  hovered  over  this  assembly.  If  he  lias  been 
obliged  to  delegate  his  functions,  he  knew  beforehand  that  he 
was  putting  them  in  good  hands.  In  fact,  Count  Hatzfeldt  and 
Under  Secretary  of  State,  M.  Busch,  have  successively  carried  out 
their  instructions  with  an  intelligence,  a  tact,  and  a  spirit  of  con- 
ciliation that  we  are  all  of  us  pleased  to  acknowledge.  We  owe 
them  a  debt  of  gratitude.  Both  of  them  have  thoroughly  entered 
into  the  principles  that  have  been  brought  before  us  with  equal 
precision  and  elevation  of  view  ever  since  the  beginning  of  the 
Conference. 

"Whatever  may  be  reserved  for  our  work  in  the  future — it 
remains  subject  to  the  vicissitudes  of  all  things  human — we  can  at 
present  at  least  bear  witness  that  we  have  neglected  nothing  that 
was  at  all  possible  to  open  up  into  the  interior  of  the  African 
Continent  a  broad  road  for  the  moral  and  material  progress  of  its 
native  races  and  for  the  development  of  the  general  welfare  of 
commerce  and  navigation. 

"  We  have,  simultaneously,  served  the  cause  of  religion,  of 
peace,  of  humanity,  and  enlarged  the  domain  of  public  international 
law. 

"  Such  was  the  object  we  had  in  view.  If  we  have  succeeded  in 
attaining  it,  a  large  part  of  the  merit  is  due  to  our  illustrious 
President,  the  promoter  of  the  meeting  of  this  Conference,  the 
author  of  the  programme  which  formed  the  basis  of  our  delibera- 
tions. 

"  I  am  thus  secure  of  the  unanimous  assent  of  the  members  of 
this  High  Assembly  in  expressing  to  His  Serene  Highness  Prince 
Bismarck  our  cordial  acknowledgment  for  his  having,  whether 
present  or  absent,  given  our  labours  their  best  direction. 

"  As  we  are  about  to  part,  I  think,  gentlemen,  that  I  am  your 
faithful  interpreter  in  offering  the  homage  of  our  respectful  grati- 
tude for  the  kindly  welcome  we  have  received  from  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia,  and  also  from  his 
august  family." 

At  Count  de  Launay's  suggestion,  the  members  of  the  High 
Assembly  rise  from  their  seats  to  mark  their  hearty  assent  to  what 


438 


APPENDIX. 


has  boon  said  by  the  Italian  representative  with  regard  to  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor. 

Prince  Bismarck  thanks  Count  de  Launay  for  his  appreciative 
remarks.  lie  expresses  a  wish  that  the  Plenipotentiaries  and 
himself  will  in  the  course  of  their  political  life  have  frequent 
opportunities  of  meeting  in  that  unanimously  friendly  spirit  which 
has  distinguished  the  Berlin  Conference.  His  Serene  Highness  ■ 
bears  witness  to  the  satisfaction  he  has  experienced  at  the  excellent 
relations  to  which  the  Conference  has  given  rise. 

The  president  consults  the  high  assembly  as  to  whether  it  will 
be  convenient  before  proceeding  to  the  signature  of  the  general 
act  to  have  the  document  read.  The  general  act  already  adopted 
in  its  entirety  by  the  Conference  has  been  printed  and  distributed 
to  the  Plenipotentiaries  for  their  mature  consideration.  The 
high  assembly  may  perhaps  under  the  circumstances  think  it  well 
to  omit  the  formality  of  the  customary  reading.  Should  that  be 
the  general  feeling,  it  will  be  in  accord  with  the  opinion  of  the 
president. 

Said  Pasha  considers  the  reading  superfluous. 

The  high  assembly  unanimously  agrees  to  the  suggestion 
offered  by  Prince  Bismarck. 

The  president  formally  announces  that  the  high  assembly  having 
given  the  general  act  its  definitive  sanction,  without  wishing  to 
hear  it  read  over  for  the  last  time,  it  will  perhaps  immediately 
pass  to  the  signature  of  the  documents. 

However,  before  inviting  the  Plenipotentiaries  to  proceed  to 
this  formality,  Prince  Bismarck,  in  order  to  simplify  the  order  of 
business,  desires  to  bring  before  the  Conference  a  communication 
which  ought  strictly  to  follow  the  signing  of  the  treaty,  and 
which  is  to  this  effect :  — 

"Referring  to  Article  XXXVIT.  of  the  Act  just  accepted  by  you 
I  have  the  honour  to  make  a  communication  to  you  which  has  just 
reached  me.  This  is  the  adoption  by  the  International  Association 
of  the  Congo  of  the  resolutions  of  the  Conference.  I  will  take 
the  liberty  of  reading  this  document,  as  well  as  a  letter  from 
Colonel  Strauch,  the  President  of  the  Association." 

The  President  reads  these  documents,  which  are  as  follows : — 

1.  Act  of  Adhesion  of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo 
to  the  General  Act  of  the  Berlin  Conference,  of  date  the  26th  of 
February,  1885. 

"  The  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  in  virtue  of  Article 


APPENDIX. 


439 


XXXVII.  of  the  General  Act  of  the  Berlin  Conference  declares  by  1885. 
these  presents  that  it  adheres  to  the  provisions  of  the  said  General    Feb-  2i)- 
Act.  Berlin- 

"  In  witness  whereof  the  President  of  the  International  Associa- 
tion of  the  Congo  has  signed  the  present  declaration  and  thereto 
affixed  his  seal. 

"  Done  at  Berlin  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  the  month  of  February, 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

"  Colonel  Strauch."    (L.  S.) 

2.  Letter  from  Colonel  Strauch  to  his  Serene  Highness  Prince 
Bismarck  : — 

"  Prince, — In  virtue  of  the  powers  given  to  me  by  His  Majesty 
the  King  of  the  Belgians,  acting  as  founder  of  the  International 
Association  of  the  Congo,  powers  sent  herewith,  and  in  conformity 
with  Article  XXXYII.  of  the  General  Act  of  the  Berlin  Conference, 
I  have  the  honour  to  forward  to  the  Government  of  the  German 
Empire  the  Act  by  which  the  International  Association  of  the 
Congo  adheres  to  the  said  General  Act. 

"  I  trust  that  your  Serene  Highness  will  in  accordance  with  the 
stipulation  which  forms  paragraph  two  of  the  same  Article  notify 
this  adhesion  to  the  States  that  have  signed  the  General  Act  or 
who  will  adhere  to  it. 

The  International  Association  of  the  Congo  will  regard  the 
favourable  consideration  given  to  its  request  as  another  proof  of 
the  friendliness  of  the  Powers  towards  a  work  destined  by  its 
origin,  its  conditions  of  existence,  and  its  object  to  aid  in  the 
accomplishment  of  the  generous  ideas  of  the  Conference. 
44 1  am,  with  profound  respect, 

"  Your  Serene  Highness's  most  humble  and 
most  obedient  servant, 

Colonel  Strauch. 
"  The  President  of  the  International  Association  of  the  Congo." 
"  Berlin,  26th  February,  1885." 

3.  Powers  conferred  on  Colonel  Strauch. 

t;  We,  Leopold  II.,  King  of  the  Belgians,  acting  as  Founder  of 
the  International  Association  of  the  Congo,  give  by  these  presents 
full  powers  to  M.  Strauch,  President  of  that  Association,  to  sign 
the  Act  of  accession  to  the  general  treaty  adopted  by  the  Berlin 
Conference. 

"Leopold.    (L.  S.) 

"  Brussels,  15th  February,  1885." 


440 


APPENDIX. 


1885 .       His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Bismarck  then  speaks  as  follows  : — 

Feb.  26. 

Berlin  "  Gentlemen, — I  believe  I  express  the  feeling  of  the  Assembly 
in  greeting  with  satisfaction  the  step  taken  by  the  International 
Association  of  the  Congo,  and  in  acknowledging  its  adhesion  to 
our  resolutions.  The  new  Congo  State  is  destined  to  be  one  of  the 
chief  protectors  of  the  work  we  have  in  view,  and  I  hope  it  will 
have  a  prosperous  development,  and  that  the  noble  aspirations  of 
its  illustrious  founder  may  be  fulfilled." 

At  the  President's  invitation,  the  Plenipotentaries  then  proceed 
to  the  signature  of  the  final  Act. 

The  President  announces  that  the  sitting  is  at  an  end,  and  the 
High  Assembly  separates  at  half-past  Four  o'clock. 

(Signed) 

SzECHENYI.  F.  P.  VAN  DER  HOEVEX. 

Cte.    Augte.     Van    der  Marquis  de  Penafiel. 

Straten  Ponthoz.  A.  de  Serpa  Pimentel. 

Bn.  Lambermont.  Cte.  P.  Kapnist. 

E.  VlND.  GlLLIS  BlLDT. 

COMTE  DE  BENOMAR.  SAID. 

John  A.  Kasson.  V.  Bismarck. 

Alph.  de  Courcel.  Busch. 
Edward  B.  Malet.  V.  Kusserow. 

Launay. 

Certified  as  agreeing  with  original, 
Raindre. 

Comte  W.  Bismarck. 
Schmidt. 


THE  GENERAL  ACT  OF  THE  BERLIN  CONFERENCE. 

In  the  Name  of  Almighty  God. 

His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia,  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  King  of  Bohemia,  &c,  and  King 
Apostolic  of  Hungary,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Spain,  the 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the  President  of  the 
French  Republic,  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  the  United  Kingdom 


APPENDIX. 


441 


of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  Empress  of  India,  His  Majesty  the  1885. 
King  of  Italy,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  Grand    F(Jb>  26 
Duke  of  Luxemburg,  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Bcilin 
Algarves,  &c.,  &c.,  &c,  His  Majesty  the  Czar  of  all  the  Kussias, 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  &c,  &c.,  and  His 
Majesty  the  Sultan  of  the  Turks. 

Desirous  of  settling  in  a  spirit  of  mutual  goodwill  the  most 
favourable  conditions  for  the  development  of  commerce  and  civili- 
sation in  certain  districts  in  Africa,  and  ensuring  to  the  natives 
the  advantages  of  the  free  navigation  of  the  two  chief  African 
rivers  that  flow  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean ;  desirous,  moreover, 
of  preventing  misunderstandings  and  disputes  which  may  in 
the  future  arise  as  new  territories  are  annexed  on  the  African 
coast,  and  at  the  same  time  anxious  to  promote  the  moral  and 
material  welfare  of  the  native  races,  have  resolved  at  the  invita- 
tion addressed  to  them  by  the  Imperial  Government  of  Germany, 
in  accord  with  the  Government  of  the  French  Eepublic  to  meet 
for  these  purposes  in  a  Conference  at  Berlin,  and  have  nominated 
as  Their  Plenipotentiaries  the  following : — 

His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia ; 

Le  Sieur  Otho,  Prince  Bismarck,  His  President  of  the  Council  of 

Ministers  of  Prussia,  Chancellor  of  the  Empire  ; 
Paul,  Count  Hatzfeldt,  His  Minister  of  State  and  Secretary  of 

State  for  the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs ; 
Le  Sieur  Auguste  Busch,  His  Privy  Councillor  of  Legation,  and 

Under-Secretary  of  Stite  for  the  department  of  Foreign  Affairs ; 

and 

I^e  Sieur  Henri  de  Kusserow,  His  Privy  Councillor  of  Legation  of 
the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  King  of  Bohemia,  &c,  and 
King  Apostolic  of  Hungary  ; 

Le  Sieur  Emeric,  Count  Szechenyi  de  Sarvari  Felso-Videk,  Cham- 
berlain and  Privy  Councillor,  His  Ambassador  Extraordinary 
and  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany, 
King  of  Prussia. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Belgians  ; 

Le  Sieur  Gabriel  Auguste,  Count  Van  der  Straten  Ponthoz,  His 
Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia ;  and 

Le  Sieur  Auguste,  Baron  Lambermont,  Minister  of  State,  His  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary. 


442 


APPENDIX. 


1885.    His  Majesty  the  King  of  Denmark  ; 

^K  f6,   Le  Blear  Emil  de  Yind,  Chamberlain,  His  Envoy  Extraordinary 
and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Spain  ; 

Don  Francisco  Merry  y  Colom,  Count  de  Benomar.  His  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty 
Emperor  of  Germany.  King  of  Prussia. 

The  President  of  the  United  States  of  America  ; 

Le  Sieur  John  A.  Kasson,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  of  North  America,  to  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  German}-,  King  of  Prussia  ;  and 

Le  Sieur  Henry  S.  Sanford,  Ex-Minister. 

The  President  of  the  French  Republic  ; 

Le  Sieur  Alphonse,  Baron  de  Courcel,  Ambassador  Extraordinary 

and  Plenipotentiary  of  France,  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 

Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 
Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain 

and  Ireland,  Empress  of  India; 
Sir  Edward  Baldwin  Malet,  Her  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and 

Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King 

of  Prussia. 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Italy; 

Le  Sieur  Edouard,  Count  de  Launay,  His  Ambassador  Extraordi- 
nary and  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  Grand  Duke  of 
Luxemburg,  &c  ; 

Le  Sieur  Frederic  Philippe,  Jonkheer  Yan  der  Hoeven,  His 
Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Algarves,  &c.  ; 

Le  Sieur  du  Serra  Gomes,  Marquis  de  Penafiel,  Peer  of  the  Realm, 
His  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prus>ia  ;  and 

Le  Sieur  Antoine  de  Serpa  Pimentel,  Councillor  of  State  and  Peer 
of  the  Realm. 

His  Majesty  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias  ; 

Le  Sieur  Pierre,  Count  Kapnist,  Privy  Councillor,  His  Envoy  Ex- 
traordinary and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the 
King  of  the  Netherlands. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  &c. ; 


APPENDIX. 


Le  Sieur  Gillis,  Baron  Bildt,  Lieutenant  General,  His  Envoy  Ex-  1885. 

traordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the    *eb'  26 

Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 
His  Majesty-  the  Sultan  of  the  Turks; 

Mehemed  Said,  Pasha,  Vizier  and  High  Dignitary,  His  Ambassador 
Extraordinary  and  Plenipotentiary  to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor 
of  Germany,  King  of  Prussia. 
Who,  furnished  with  full  powers,  which  have  been  found  to  be 

in  good  and  proper  form,  have  successively  discussed  and  adopted. 

1.  A  declaration  relative  to  the  freedom  of  trade  in  the  basin  of 
the  Congo,  its  mouths,  and  circumjacent  districts,  with  certain 
arrangements  connected  therewith. 

2.  A  declaration  concerning  the  slave-trade,  and  the  operations 
on  land  or  sea,  which  supply  the  slaves  for  the  trade. 

3.  A  declaration  relative  to  the  neutrality  of  the  territories  com- 
prised in  the  said  basin  of  the  Congo. 

4.  An  act  as  to  the  navigation  of  the  Congo,  which  takes  into 
consideration  the  local  circumstmces  affecting  the  river  ;  its  afflu- 
ents, and  the  waters  that  are  similar  to  tliem,  the  general  principles 
set  forth  in  Articles  10S  to  116  of  the  final  Act  of  the  Congress  of 
Vienna,  and  intended  to  regulate  between  the  signatory  powers  to 
th^t  act,  the  free  navigation  of  navigable  watercourses  that  separate 
or  traverse  several  States  ;  principles  that  have  once  been  generally 
applied  to  the  rivers  of  Europe  and  America,  and  notably  to  the 
Danube  with  the  modifications  foreseen  by  the  Treaties  of  Paris  of 
1856,  of  Berlin  of  1878,  of  London  of  1871  and  1883. 

5.  An  act  for  the  navigation  of  the  Niger,  which  also  takes  into 
consideration  the  loc;d  circumstances  affecting  this  river  and  its 
affluents,  on  the  same  principles  set  forth  in  Articles  108  to  116  of 
the  final  Act  of  the  Congress  of  Vienna. 

6.  A  declaration  introducing  into  international  relations  uniform 
rules  with  regard  to  annexations  which  may  take  place  in  the 
future  on  the  African  continent ; 

And  having  decided  that  these  various  documents  could  be  use- 
fully combined  in  a  single  deed,  have  collected  them  in  a  general 
act  composed  of  the  following  articles. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Declaration  relative  to  the  freedom  of  commerce  in  the  basin  of 
the  Congo,  its  mouths,  and  circumjacent  districts,  with  certain 


arrangements  connected  therewith. 


444 


APPENDIX. 


Article  I. 

1 885.        The  trade  of  all  nations  shall  be  entirely  free  : 
eb.  26.  In  all  the  territories  constituting  the  basin  of  the  Congo  and 

Berhn.  affluents.  The  basin  is  bounded  by  the  crests  of  the  adjoining 
basins,  that  is  to  say,  the  basins  of  the  Kiari,  of  the  Ogowe,  of  the 
Shari,  and  of  the  Nile  towards  the  north ;  by  the  line  of  the 
eastern  ridge  of  the  affluents  of  Lake  Tanganyika  towards  the  east ; 
by  the  crests  of  the  basins  of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Loge  towards 
the  south.  It  consequently  embraces  all  the  territories  drained  by 
the  Congo  and  its  affluent comprising  therein  Lake  Tanganyika 
and  its  eastern  tributaries. 

2.  In  the  maritime  zone  extending  along  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
from  the  parallel  of  2°  30'  j-outh  latitude  to  the  mouth  of  the  Loge. 

The  northern  limit  will  follow  the  parallel  of  2°  30'  from  the 
coast  until  it  reaches  the  geographical  basin  of  the  Congo,  avoiding 
the  basin  of  the  Ogowe,  to  which  the  stipulations  of  the  present 
Act  do  not  apply. 

The  southern  limit  will  follow  the  course  of  the  Loge  up  to  the 
source  of  that  river,  and  thence  strike  eastwards  to  its  junction 
with  the  geographic-*!  basin  of  the  Cmgo. 

3.  In  the  zone  extending  eastwards  from  the  basin  of  the  Congo 
as  limited  above  herein,  to  the  Indian  Ocean,  from  the  fifth  degree 
of  north  Latitude  to  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi  on  the  south ;  from 
this  point  the  line  of  demarcation  will  follow  the  Zambesi  for  five 
miles  up  stream  to  the  junction  with  the  Shire,  and  continue  by 
the  line  of  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  which  flow  towards  lake 
Nyassa  from  the  tributary  waters  of  the  Zambesi,  until  it  rejoins 
the  line  of  the  water-parting  between  the  Zambesi  and  the  Congo. 
It  is  expressly  understood  that  in  extending  to  this  eastern  zone 
the  principle  of  commercial  freedom,  the  Powers  represented  at  the 
Conference  bind  only  themselves,  and  that  the  principle  will  apply 
to  territories  actually  belonging  to  some  independent  and  sovereign 
state  only  so  far  as  that  state  consents  to  it.  The  Powers  agree  to 
employ  their  good  offices  among  the  established  Governments  on 
the  African  coast  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  to  obtain  such  consent  and 
in  any  case  to  ensure  the  most  favourable  conditions  to  all  nations. 

Article  II. 

All  flags,  without  distinction  of  nationality,  shall  have  free 
access  to  all  the  coast  of  the  territories  above  enumerated,  to  the 


APPENDIX. 


445 


rivers  which  therein  flow  to  the  sea  to  all  the  waters  of  the  Congo  1885. 
and  its  affluents,  including  the  lakes,  to  all  the  canals  that  in  the    Feb'  %' 
future  may  be  cut  with  the  object  of  uniting  the  watercourses  or  Beilin 
the  lakes  comprised  in  the  whole  extent  of  the  territories  described 
in  Article  L     They  can  undertake  all  kinds  of  transport,  and 
engage  in  maiitime  and  fluvial  coas'ing,  as  well  as  river  navigation, 
on  the  same  footing  as  the  natives. 


Article  III. 

Goods  from  every  source  imported  into  these  territories  under 
any  flag  whatsoever,  either  by  way  of  the  sea,  the  rivers,  or  the 
land,  shall  pay  no  taxes  except  such  as  are  an  equitable  compensa- 
tion for  the  necessary  expenses  of  the  trade,  and  which  can  meet 
with  equal  support  from  the  natives  and  from  foreigners  of  every 
nationality. 

All  differential  treatment  is  forbidden  both  with  regard  to  ships 
and  goods. 

Article  IV. 

Goods  imported  into  these!  territories  will  remain  free  of  all 
charges  for  entry  and  transit. 

The  powers  reserve  to  themselves,  until  the  end  of  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  the  right  of  deciding  if  freedom  of  entry  shall  be 
maintained  or  not. 

Article  V. 

Every  Power  which  exercises  or  will  exercise  sovereign  rights 
in  the  territories  above-mentioned,  cannot  therein  concede  any 
monopoly  or  privilege  of  any  sort  in  commercial  matters. 

Foreigners  shall  therein  indiscriminately  enjoy  the  same  treat- 
ment and  rights  as  the  natives  in  the  protection  of  their  persons 
and  goods,  in  the  acquisition  and  transmission  of  their  property, 
moveable  and  immovable,  and  in  the  exercise  of  their  professions. 


Article  VI. 

Prolusions  Belative  to  the  Protection  of  the  Natives,  to  Missionaries 
and  Travellers,  and  to  Religious  Liberty. 

All  the  Powers  exercising  sovereign  rights,  or  having  influence 
in  the  said  territories,  undertake  to  watch  over  the  preservation  of 
the  native  races,  and  the  amelioration  of  the  moral  and  material 


446 


APPENDIX. 


L885.  conditions  of  their  existence,  and  to  co-operate  in  the  suppression 
ob.  26.  0f  slavery^  an(j  above  all  of  the  slave  trade;  they  will  protect  and 
l  ollin'  encourage,  without  distinction  of  nationality  or  creed,  all  institu- 
tions and  enterprises,  religious,  scientific,  or  charitable,  established 
and  organised  for  these  objects  or  tending  to  educate  the  natives, 
and  lead  them  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  advantages  of 
civilisation. 

Christian  missionaries,  men  of  science,  explorers,  and  their 
escorts  and  collections,  to  be  equally  the  object  of  special  pro- 
tection. 

Liberty  of  conscience  and  religious  toleration  are  expressly 
guaranteed  to  the  natives  as  well  as  to  the  inhabitants  and 
foreigners.  The  free  and  public  exercise  of  every  creed,  the  right 
to  erect  religious  buildings  and  to  organise  missions  belonging  to 
every  creed,  shall  be  subject  to  no  restriction  or  impediment  what- 
soever. 

Article  VII. 
Postal  Arrangements. 

The  Convention  of  the  Postal  Union  revised  at  Paris  on  the  1st 
of  June,  1878,  shall  apply  to  the  said  basin  of  the  Congo. 

The  Powers  which  there  exercise  or  will  exercise  rights  of 
sovereignty  or  protectorate,  undertake,  as  soon  as  circumstances 
permit,  to  introduce  the  necessary  measures  to  give  effect  to  the 
above  resolution. 

Article  VIII. 

Might  of  Surveillance  conferred  on  the  International  Commission  for  the 
Navigation  of  the  Congo. 

In  all  parts  of  the  territory  embraced  in  the  present  Declaration, 
where  no  Power  shall  exercise  the  rights  of  sovereignty  or  protec- 
torate, the  International  Commission  for  the  navigation  of  the 
Congo,  constituted  in  accordance  with  Article  XVII.,  shall  be 
entrusted  with  the  surveillance  of  the  application  of  the  principles 
declared  and  established  in  this  Declaration. 

In  all  cases  of  difficulties  arising  relative  to  the  application  of 
the  principles  established  by  the  present  Declaration,  the  Govern- 
ments interested  shall  agree  to  appeal  to  the  good  offices  of  the 
International  Commission,  leaving  to  it  the  examination  of  the  facts 
which  have  given  rise  to  the  difficulties. 


APPENDIX. 


447 


CHAPTER  II. 

Feb.  26. 

DECLARATION  CONCERNING  THE  SLAVE  TRADE.  Berlin. 

Article  IX. 

In  conformity  with  the  principles  of  the  right  of  nations  as 
recognised  by  the  signatory  Powers,  the  slave  trade  being  forbidden, 
and  operations  which  on  land  or  sea  supply  slaves  for  the  trade 
being  equally  held  to  be  forbidden,  the  Powers  which  exercise  or 
will  exercise  rights  of  sovereignty  or  influence  in  the  territories 
forming  the  basin  of  the  Congo  declare  that  these  territories  shall 
serve  neither  for  the  place  of  sale  nor  the  way  of  transit  for  the 
traffic  in  slaves  of  any  race  whatsoever.  Each  of  the  Powers  under- 
takes to  employ  every  means  that  it  can  to  put  an  end  to  the  trade 
and  to  punish  those  who  engage  in  it. 

CHAPTER  III. 

DECLARATION  RELATIVE  TO  THE  NEUTRALITY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES 
COMPRISED  IN  THE  SAID  BASIN  OF  THE  CONGO. 

Article  X. 

In  order  to  give  a  new  guarantee  of  security  for  commerce  and 
industry,  and  to  encourage  by  the  maintenance  of  peace  the  de- 
velopment of  civilisation  in  the  countries  mentioned  in  Article  I. 
and  placed  under  the  system  of  free  trade,  the  High  Parties  signa- 
tory to  the  present  Act,  and  those  who  will  accept  the  same,  hereby 
undertake  to  respect  the  neutrality  of  the  territories,  or  parts  of 
the  territories  dependent  on  the  said  countries,  comprising  therein 
the  territorial  waters,  for  so  long  as  the  Powers  which  exercise,  or 
will  exercise,  the  rights  of  sovereignty  or  protectorate  over  the 
territories,  avail  themselves  of  the  right  to  proclaim  them  neutral 
and  fulfil  the  duties  that  neutrality  implies. 

Article  XI. 

In  cases  where  a  Power  exercising  rights  of  sovereignty  or  pro- 
tectorate in  the  countries  mentioned  in  Article  I.  and  placed  under 
the  system  of  free  trade  shall  be  involved  in  war,  the  Hi^h  Parties 
signatory  to  the  present  Act  and  those  who  will  accept  the  same 
hereby  engage  to  use  their  good  offices  so  that  the  territories  be- 
longing to  that  Power,  and  comprised  within  the  said  boundaries 
where  free  trade  exists,  shall,  by  the  mutual  consent  of  that  Power 


448 


APPENDIX. 


1885.     and  of  the  other  or  others  of  the  belligerent  parties,  be  held  to  be 
el>'        neutral  for  so  long  as  the  war  lasts,  and  considered  as  belonging  to 
Ber*n'    a  non-belligerent  state;  the  belligerent  parties  will  then  abstain 
from  extending  hostilities  into  such  neutralised  territories  as  well 
as  from  using  them  as  a  base  for  operations  of  war. 


Article  XII. 

In  the  event  of  a  serious  disagreement  originating  on  the  sub- 
ject, or  arising  within  the  limits  of  the  territories  mentioned  in 
Article  I.,  and  placed  under  the  system  of  freedom  of  trade,  between 
Powers  signatory  to  the  present  Act  or  Powers  accepting  the  same, 
these  Powers  undertake  before  appealing  to  arms  to  have  recourse 
to  the  mediation  of  one  or  several  of  the  friendly  Powers. 

Under  the  said  circumstances  the  said  Power  reserve  to  them- 
selves the  option  of  proceeding  to  arbitration. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

ACT  OF  THE  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  CONGO. 

Article  XIII. 

The  navigation  of  the  Congo,  without  any  exception  of  any 
branches  or  issues  of  the  river,  is  to  remain  entirely  free  for  mer- 
chant shipping  of  all  nations  in  cargo  or  ballast,  for  the  carriage  of 
goods  or  the  carriage  of  passengers.  It  shall  be  in  accordance  with 
the  provisions  of  the  present  Act  of  navigation  or  of  the  regulations 
established  in  execution  of  the  said  Act. 

Jn  the  exercise  of  that  navigation  the  subjects  and  flags  of  all 
nations  shall  under  all  circumstances  be  treated  on  a  footing  of 
absolute  equality  as  well  as  regards  the  direct  navigation  from  the 
open  sea  towards  the  interior  ports  of  the  Congo,  and  vice  versa,  as 
for  grand  and  petty  coasting  and  boat  and  river  work  all  along  the 
river. 

Consequently,  throughout  the  Congo's  course  and  mouths,  no 
distinction  shall  be  made  between  the  subjects  of  the  river-side 
States  and  those  not  bordering  on  the  river,  and  no  exclusive  privi- 
lege of  navigation  shall  be  granted  either  to  societies  or  corpora- 
tions or  individuals. 

These  provisions  are  recognised  by  the  signatory  Powers  as 
henceforth  forming  part  of  public  international  law. 


APPENDIX. 


449 


Article  XIV. 

The  navigation  of  the  Congo  shall  not  be  subjected  to  any  1885 
restraints  or  imposts  which  are  not  expressly  stipulated  for  in  the    Feb-  2tJ- 
present  Act.    It  shall  not  be  burdened  with  any  duties  for  har-  Berlin, 
bourage,  stoppages,  depots,  breaking  bulk,  or  putting  in  through 
stress  of  weather. 

Throughout  the  length  of  the  Congo  ships  and  merchandise 
passing  along  the  stream  shall  be  subject  to  no  transit  dues,  no 
matter  what  may  be  their  origin  or  destination. 

There  shall  not  be  established  any  tolls,  marine  or  river,  based 
on  the  fact  of  navigation  alone,  nor  shall  any  duty  be  imposed  on 
the  merchandise  on  board  the  vessels.  Such  taxes  and  duties  only 
shall  be  levied  as  are  of  the  character  of  remuneration  for  services 
rendered  to  the  said  navigation.    That  is  to  say  : 

1.  Taxes  of  the  port  lor  the  actual  use  of  certain  local  establish- 

ments, such  as  wharves,  warehouses,  (fee. 

The  tariff  of  such  taxes  to  be  calculated  on  the  expenses 
of  construction  and  support  of  the  said  local  establishments, 
and  in  its  application  to  be  independent  ol  the  origin  of  the 
vessels  and  their  cargo. 

2.  Pilotage  dues  on  sections  of  the  river,  or  where  it  appears 

necessary  to  establish  stations  <»f  certificated  pilots. 

The  tariff  of  these  dues  to  be  fixed  and  proportionate  to 
the  services  rendered. 

3.  Dues  in  respect  of  the  technical  and  administrative  expenses, 

imposed  in  the  general  interest  of  the  navigation,  and  com- 
prising lighthouse,  beacon,  and  buoyage  dues. 

Dues  of  the  last  description  to  be  based  on  the  tonnage  of 
the  ships  according  to  the  papers  on  board,  and  to  be  con- 
formable to  the  regulations  in  force  on  the  Lower  Danube. 
The  tariffs  of  the  taxes  and  dues  mentioned  in  the  three  preced- 
ing paragraphs  are  not  to  admit  of  any  differential  treatment,  and 
are  to  be  officially  published  in  each  port. 

The  Powers  reserve  to  themselves  the  right  at  the  end  of  five 
years,  by  mutual  agreement,  to  inquire  into  the  above-mentioned 
tariffs  in  case  the}'  require  revision. 

Article  XV. 

The  affluents  of  the  Congo  shall  under  all  circumstances  be 
subject  to  the  same  regulations  as  the  river  of  which  they  are  the 
tributaries. 

Vol.  II.— 29 


450 


APPENDIX. 


L885  The  same  regulations  shall  apply  to  the  lakes  and  canals  as  to 
el'-  ">tj-  the  rivers  and  streams  in  the  territories  defined  in  Article  I., 
Keillu-    paragraphs  2  ami 

Nevertheless  the  powers  of  the  International  Commission  of  the 
Congo  shall  not  extend  over  the  said  rivers,  lakes,  and  canals, 
unless  with  the  assent  of  the  States  under  whose  sovereignty  they 
are  placed.  It  is  also  understood  that  for  the  territories  mentioned 
in  Article  I,  paragraph  3,  the  consent  of  the  sovereign  States  on 
whom  these  territories  are  dependent  remains  reserved. 


Article  XV J. 

The  roads,  railways,  or  lateral  canals  which  shall  be  established 
for  the  special  object  of  supplementing  the  innavigability  or  imper- 
fections of  the  water-way  in  certain  sections  of  the  Congo,  of  its 
affluents  and  other  watercourses  held  to  be  like  unto  them  by 
Article  XV.,  shall  be  considered  in  their  capacity  as  means  of 
communication  as  dependencies  of  the  river,  and  shall  be  likewise 
open  to  the  traffic  of  all  nations. 

And  as  on  the  river  there  shall  be  levied  on  these  roads,  railways, 
and  canals,  only  tolls  calculated  on  the  expenses  of  construction, 
maintenance,  and  administration,  and  on  the  profits  due  to  the 
promoters. 

In  the  assessment  of  these  tolls  foreigners  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  respective  territories  shall  be  treated  on  a  footing  of  perfect 
equality. 

Article  XVII. 

An  International  Commission  is  instituted  appointed  to  ensure 
the  execution  of  the  provisions  of  the  present  Act  of  Navigation. 

The  Powers  signatory  to  this  Act,  as  well  as  those  who  after- 
wards accept  it,  shall  at  all  times  be  represented  on  the  said  Com- 
mission each  by  a  delegate.  No  delegate  shall  have  more  than  one 
vote  even  in  the  event  of  his  representing  several  Governments. 

This  delegate  shall  be  paid  by  his  own  Government  direct. 

The  salaries  and  allowances  of  the  agents  and  servants  of  the 
International  Commission  shall  be  charged  on  the  proceeds  of  the 
dues  levied  conformably  to  Article  XIV.,  paragraphs  2  and  3. 

The  amounts  of  the  said  salaries  and  allowances  as  well  as  the 
number,  position,  and  duties  of  the  agents  and  servants  shall  appear 
in  the  account  rendered  each  year  to  the  Governments  represented 
on  the  International  Commission. 


APPENDIX. 


451 


Article  XVIII. 

The  members  of  the  International  Commission,  as  well  as  the  1885. 
agents  nominated  by  them,  are  invested  with  the  privilege  of  in-   Feb-  -h 
violability  in  the  exercise  of  their  functions.    The  same  guarantee  Berlin* 
shall  extend  to  the  offices,  premises,  and  archives  of  the  Com- 
mission. 

Article  XIX. 

The  International  Commission  for  the  navigation  of  the  Congo 
shall  be  constituted  as  soon  as  five  of  the  signatory  Powers  of  the 
present  General  Act  shall  have  nominated  their  delegates.  Pend- 
ing the  constitution  of  the  Commission,  the  nomination  of  the 
delegates  shall  be  notified  to  the  Government  of  the  German 
Empire,  by  whom  the  necessary  steps  will  be  taken  to  manage 
the  meeting  of  the  Commission. 

The  Commission  will  draw  up  without  delay  the  arrangements 
for  the  navigation,  river  police,  pilotage,  and  quarantine. 

These  regulations  as  well  as  the  tariffs  instituted  by  the  Com- 
mission, before  being  put  in  force,  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
approbation  of  the  Powers  represented  on  the  Commission.  The 
Powers  interested  shall  declare  their  opinion  therein  with  the 
least  possible  delay. 

Offences  against  these  regulations  shall  be  dealt  wiih  by  the 
agents  of  the  International  Commission,  where  it  exercises  its 
authority  direct,  and  in  other  places  by  the  riverside  Power. 

In  case  of  abuse  of  power  or  injustice  on  the  part  of  an  agent  or 
servant  of  the  International  Commission,  the  individual  consider- 
ing himself  injured  on  his  person  or  his  rights,  shall  apply  to  the 
Consular  agent  of  his  nation.  He  will  enquire  into  his  complaint, 
if  prima  facie  he  finds  it  reasonable,  he  shall  be  entitled  to  report  it 
to  the  Commission.  On  his  initiative,  the  Commission  represented 
by  three  or  fewer  of  its  members  shall  join  with  him  in  an  enquiry 
touching  the  conduct  of  its  agent  or  servant.  If  the  Consular 
agent  considers  the  decision  of  the  Commission  as  objectionable  in 
law,  he  shall  report  to  the  Government,  who  shall  refer  to  the 
Powers  represented  on  the  Commission,  and  invite  them  to  agree 
as  to  the  instructions  to  be  given  to  the  Commission. 

Article  XX. 

The  International  Commission  of  the  Congo  entrusted  under 
the  terms  of  Article  XVII.,  with  ensuring  the  execution  of  the 


452 


APPENDIX. 


1885.     present  Act  of  Navigation  shall  specially  devote  its  attention 

Feb.  26.  t0_ 

Berlin.  ^  THe  indication  of  such  works  as  are  necessary  for  ensuring 
the  navigability  of  the  Congo,  in  accordance  with  the  requirements 
of  international  trade. 

On  sections  of  the  river  where  no  Power  exercises  rights  of 
sovereignty,  the  International  Commission  shall  itself  take  the 
measures  necessary  for  ensuring  the  navigability  of  the  stream. 

On  sections  of  the  river  occupied  by  a  sovereign  Power,  the  Inter- 
national Commission  shall  arrange  with  the  riverside  au  hority. 

li.  The  fixing  of  the  tariff  for  pilotage  and  of  the  general  tariff 
of  navigation  dues,  provided  for  in  the  second  and  third  paragraphs 
of  Article  XLV. 

The  tariffs  mentioned  in  the  first  paragraph  of  Article  XIV.  shall 
be  settled  by  the  territorial  authority  within  the  limits  provided 
for  in  that  Article. 

The  collection  of  these  dues  shall  be  under  the  care  of  the  inter- 
national or  territorial  authority,  on  whose  account  they  huve  been 
established. 

3.  The  administration  of  the  revenues  accruing  from  the  appli- 
cation of  the  foregoing  paragraph  2. 

4.  The  surveillance  of  the  quarantine  establishment  ins'ituted 
in  compliance  with  Article  XXIY. 

5.  The  nomination  of  agents  for  the  general  service  of  the  navi- 
gation and  its  own  particular  servants. 

The  appointment  of  sub-inspectors  shall  belong  to  the  tenitoiial 
authority  over  sections  occupied  by  a  Power,  and  to  the  Inter- 
national Commission  over  the  other  sections  of  the  river. 

The  riverside  Power  will  notify  to  the  International  Commission 
the  nomination  of  its  sub-inspectors  which  it  shall  have  appointed, 
and  this  Power  shall  pay  their  salaries. 

In  the  exercise  of  its  duties  as  defined  and  limited  above,  the 
International  Commission  shall  not  be  subject  to  the  territorial 
authority. 

Article  XXI. 

In  the  execution  of  its  task,  the  International  Commission  shall 
have  recourse  in  case  of  need  to  the  vessels  of  war  belonging  to 
the  signatory  Powers  of  this  Act,  and  to  those  which  in  the  future 
shall  accept  it,  if  not  in  contravention  of  the  instructions  which 
shall  have  been  given  to  the  commanders  of  those  vessels  by  their 
respective  Governments. 


APPENDIX. 


453 


Article  XXI I. 

The  vessels  of  war  of  the  Powers  signatory  to  the  present  Act  1885. 
which  enter  the  Congo  are  exempt  from  the  payment  of  the   *eb"  2i 
navigation  dues  provided  fur  in  paragraph  3  of  Article  XIV. ;  but  Beilin 
they  shall  pay  the  contingent  pilotage  dues  as  well  as  the  harbour 
dues,  unless  their  intervention  has  been  demanded  by  the  Inter- 
national Commission  or  its  agents  under  the  terms  of  the  preceding 
Article. 

Article  XXIII. 

With  the  object  of  meeting  the  technical  and  administrative 
expenses  which  it  may  have  to  incur,  the  International  Com- 
mission, instituted  under  Article  XVII.,  may  in  its  own  name  issue 
loans  secured  on  the  revenues  assigned  to  the  said  Commission. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Commission  regarding  the  issue  of  a  loan 
mu>t  be  carried  by  a  majority  of  two-thirds  of  its  votes.  It  is 
undei  stood  that  the  Governments  represented  on  the  Commission 
shall  not,  in  any  case,  be  considered  as  assuming  any  guarantee 
nor  contracting  any  engagement  or  joint  responsibility  with 
regard  to  the  said  loans,  unless  special  tieaties  are  concluded 
amongst  them  to  that  effect. 

The  proceeds  of  the  dues  specified  in  the  third  paragraph  of 
Article  XIV.,  shall  be  in  the  first  place  set  aside  for  the  payment  of 
interest  and  the  amortisation  of  the  said  loans,  in  accordance  with 
the  agreements  entered  into  with  the  lenders. 

Article  XXIV. 

At  the  mouths  of  the  Congo  thete  shall  be  founded,  either  at  the 
initiation  of  the  riverside  Powers,  or  by  the  intervention  of  the 
International  Commission,  a  quarantine  establishment,  which  shall 
exercise  control  over  the  vessels  entering  and  departing. 

It  shall  be  decided  later  on  by  the  Powers,  if  any,  and  under 
what  conditions  sanitary  control  shall  be  exercised  over  vessels 
navigating  the  river. 

Article  XXV. 

The  provisions  of  the  present  Act  of  Navigation  shall  remain  in 
force  during  times  of  war.  Consequently,  the  navigation  of  all 
nations,  neutral  and  belligerent,  shall  at  all  times  be  free  for  the 
purposes  of  trade  on  the  Congo,  its  branches,  its  affluents,  and  its 


454 


APPENDIX. 


1885.  mouths,  as  well  as  on  the  territorial  waters  fronting  the  mouths  of 
reb-26-    the  river. 

The  traffic  shall  likewise  remain  free,  notwithstanding  the  state 
of  war,  on  its  roads,  its  railways,  its  lakes,  and  its  canals  as  men- 
tioned in  Articles  XV.  and  XVI. 

The  only  exception  to  this  principle  shall  be  in  cases  in  connection 
with  the  transport  of  articles  intended  for  a  belligerent,  and  held 
in  accordance  with  the  law  of  nations  to  be  contraband  of  war. 

All  the  works  and  establishments  instituted  in  execution  of  the 
present  Act,  particularly  the  offices  of  collection  and  their  funds 
the  same  as  the  staff  permanently  attached  to  the  service  of  such 
establishments,  shall  be  treated  as  neutral,  and  shall  be  respected 
and  protected  by  the  belligerents. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  ACT  OF  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  NIGER. 

Article  XXVI. 

The  navigation  of  the  Niger,  without  excepting  any  of  the 
branches  or  issues,  is  and  shall  continue  completely  free  for  mer- 
chant vessels  of  all  nations,  in  cargo  or  ballast,  conveying  goods 
or  conveying  passengers.  It  shall  be  conducted  in  accordance  with 
the  provisions  of  the  present  Act  of  Navigation,  and  with  the 
regulations  established  in  execution  of  the  same  Act. 

In  the  exercise  of  th  it  navigation,  the  subjects  and  flag  of  every 
nation  shall  be  treated  under  all  circumstances  on  a  footing:  of 
perfect  equality,  as  well  as  in  the  direct  navigation  from  the  open 
sea  to  the  interior  ports  of  the  Niger,  and  vice  versa,  as  for  grand 
and  petty-coasting,  and  in  boat  and  riverwork  throughout  its 
course. 

Consequently  throughout  the  length  and  mouths  of  the  Niger 
there  shall  be  no  distinction  between  the  subjects  of  the  riverside 
states  and  those  of  states  not  bordering  on  the  river,  and  there 
shall  be  conceded  no  exclusive  privilege  of  navigation  to  any  society 
or  corporation  or  any  individual. 

These  provisions  are  recognised  by  the  signatory  Powers  as 
henceforth  forming  part  of  public  international  law. 

Article  XXVII. 

The  navigation  of  the  Niger  shall  not  be  subjected  to  any  obstacle, 
nor  duty  based  only  on  the  fact  of  the  navigation. 


APPENDIX. 


455 


It  shall  not  be  subject  to  any  duties  for  harbourage,  stop-  L885. 
pages,  depots,  breaking  bulk,  or  putting  into  port  through  stress  of  Feb'  21 
weather.  BerliQ- 

Throughout  the  length  of  the  Niger  vessels  and  goods  passing 
along  the  stream  shall  not  be  subject  to  any  transit  dues,  whatso- 
ever may  be  their  origin  or  destination. 

There  shall  be  established  no  sea  nor  river  toll  based  on  the  sole 
fact  of  navigation,  nor  any  duty  on  the  goods  which  happen  to  be 
on  board  the  ships ;  only  such  taxes  and  dues  shall  be  levied  as 
are  of  the  nature  of  a  payment  for  services  rendered  to  the  said 
navigation.  The  tariffs  of  these  taxes  or  dues  shall  admit  of  no 
differential  treatment. 

Article  XXVIII. 

The  affluents  of  the  Niger  shall  in  every  respect  be  subject  to 
the  same  regulations  as  the  river  of  which  they  are  the  tributaries. 


Article  XXIX. 

Roads,  railways,  or  lateral  canals,  which  shall  be  established 
with  the  special  object  of  supplementing  the  innavigability  or 
other  imperfections  of  the  waterway,  in  certain  sections  of  the 
course  of  the  Niger,  its  affluents,  its  branches,  and  its  issues,  shall 
be  considered  in  their  capacity  of  means  of  communication  as 
dependencies  of  the  river,  and  shall  be  similarly  open  to  the  traffic 
of  all  nations. 

As  on  the  river  there  shall  be  levied  on  the  roads,  railways,  and 
canals,  only  such  tolls  as  are  calculated  on  the  expenses  of  con- 
struction, maintenance,  and  administration,  and  on  the  profits  due 
to  the  promoters. 

In  the  assessment  of  these  tolls,  foreigners  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  respective  territories  shall  be  treated  on  a  footing  of  per- 
fect equality. 

Article  XXX. 

Great  Britain  undertakes  to  appl  y  the  principles  of  freedom  of  navi- 
gation enunciated  in  Articles  XXVI.,  XXVII.,  XXVIII.,  XXIX., 
to  so  much  of  the  waters  of  the  Niger  and  its  affluents,  branches, 
and  issues,  as  are  or  shall  be  under  her  sovereignty  or  protectorate. 

The  regulations  she  will  draw  up  for  the  safety  and  control  of 
the  navigation  shall  be  designed  to  facilitate  as  much  as  possible 
the  passage  of  merchant  shipping. 


456 


APPENDIX. 


1885.        It  is  understood  that  nothing  in  the  engagements  thus  accepted 
el J,>-    shall  be  interpreted  as  hindering  likely  or  to  hinder  Great  Britain 
llin.    from  making  any  regulations  whatever  as  to  the  navigation  which 
shall  not  be  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  such  engagements. 

Great  Biitain  undei takes  to  protect  foreign  traders  of  every 
nation  engaged  in  commerce  in  those  parts  of  the  course  of  the 
Niger  which  are  or  shall  be  under  her  sovereignty  or  protectorate, 
as  if  they  were  her  own  subjects,  provided  that  such  traders  con- 
form to  the  regulations  which  are  or  shall  be  established  in  accoid- 
anco  with  the  foregoing. 


Article  XXXI. 

France  accepts  under  the  same  reservations  and  in  identical 
terms  the  obligations  set  forth  in  the  preceding  Article,  so  far  as 
they  apply  to  the  waters  of  the  Niger,  its  affluents,  branches,  and 
issues,  which  are  or  shall  be  under  her  sovereignty  or  protectorate. 


Article  XXXII. 

Each  of  the  other  signatory  Powers  similarly  undertake  that 
they  will  similarly  act  in  such  cases  as  they  exercise  or  may  here- 
after exercise  rights  of  sovereignty  or  protectorate  in  any  part  of 
the  Niger,  its  affluents,  branches,  or  issues. 


Article  XXXIII. 

The  provisions  of  the  present  Act  of  Navigation  shall  remain  in 
force  during  times  of  war.  Consequently  the  navigation  of  all 
nations,  neutral  or  belligerent,  shall  at  all  times  be  free  for  the 
purposes  of  trade  on  the  Niger,  its  branches  and  affluents,  its  mouths 
and  issues,  as  well  as  on  the  territorial  waters  fronting  the  mouths 
and  issues  of  the  river 

The  traffic  shall  likewise  remain  free  notwithstanding  the 
state  of  war,  on  its  roads,  its  railways,  and  canals  mentioned  in 
Article  XXIX. 

The  only  exception  to  this  principle  shall  be  in  cases  in  con- 
nection with  the  transport  of  articles  intended  for  a  belligerent 
and  held,  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  nations,  to  be  contraband 
of  war. 


APPENDIX. 


457 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DECLARATION  RELATIVE  TO  THE  ESSENTIAL  CONDITIONS  FOR  NEW  AN- 
NEXATIONS ON  THE  AFRICAN  CONTINENT  TO  BE  CONSIDERED 
EFFECTIVE. 

Article  XXXIV. 

The  Power  which  in  future  takes  possession  of  a  territory  on  1885. 
Nthe  coasts  of  the  African  continent  situated  outside  its  actual  pos-   Feb'  20 
session,  or  which,  having  none  there,  has  first  acquired  them,  and  Berlm- 
the  Power  which  assumes  a  protectorate,  shall  accompany  either 
act  by  a  notification  addressed  to  the  other  Powers  signatory  to 
the  present  Act,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  protest  against  the  same 
if  there  exist  any  grounds  for  their  doing  so. 

Article  XXXV. 

The  Powers  signatory  to  the  present  Act  recognise  the  obliga- 
tion to  ensure  in  the  territories  occupied  by  them  on  the  coasts  of 
the  African  continent,  the  existence  of  an  adequate  authority  to 
enforce  respect  for  acquired  rights,  and  for  freedom  of  trade  and 
transit  wherever  stipulated. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

GENERAL  PROVISIONS. 

Article  XXXVI. 

The  Powers  signatory  to  the  present  general  Act  reserve  to 
themselves  the  right  of  eventually,  by  mutual  agreement,  intro- 
ducing therein  modifications  or  improvements  the  utility  of  which 
has  been  shown  by  experience. 

Article  XXXVII. 

The  Powers  who  may  not  have  signed  the  present  Act  shall 
accept  its  provisions  by  a  separate  Act. 

The  adhesion  of  each  Power  shall  be  notified  in  the  usual  diplo- 
matic manner  to  the  Government  of  the  German  Empire,  and  by  it 
to  those  of  all  the  signatory  and  adherent  States. 

The  adhesion  shall  imply  the  full  right  of  acceptance  of  all  the 
obligations,  and  admission  to  all  the  advantages  stipulated  for  in 
the  present  general  Act. 


458 


APPENDIX. 


Article  XXXYIII. 

1885.  The  present  general  Act  shall  be  ratified  with  as  short  a  delay 
eb.  lb.    ag  p0ssiijie5  an(j  jn  110  case  shall  that  delay  exceed  a  year. 

It  shall  come  into  force  for  each  Power  on  the  date  of  its  ratifi- 
cation by  that  Power. 

Meanwhile  the  Powers  signatory  to  the  present  Act  bind  them- 
selves to  adopt  no  measure  that  shall  be  contrary  to  the  provisions 
of  the  said  Act. 

Each  Power  shall  send  its  ratification  to  the  Government  of  the 
German  Empire,  which  nndeitakes  to  ratify  the  same  to  all  the 
signatory  Powers  of  the  present  general  Act. 

The  ratifications  of  all  the  Powers  shall  remain  deposited  in  the 
archives  of  the  Government  of  the  German  Empire.  When  all  the 
ratifications  shall  have  been  produced,  a  deed  of  deposit  shall  be 
drawn  up  in  a  protocol  which  shall  be  signed  by  the  Representa- 
tives of  all  the  Powers  that  have  taken  part  in  the  Beilin  Confer- 
ence, and  of  it  a  certified  copy  shall  be  sent  to  each  of  all  those 
Powers. 

In  consideration  of  which,  the  respective  Plenipotentiaries  have 
signed  the  present  general  Act  and  hereto  affixed  their  seals. 

Done  at  Berlin,  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  the  month  of  February, 
one  thousand  eigl.t  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

DISTANCE  and  TIME-TABLE  from  Banana  Point  to  Stanley  Falls. 


From  Banana  Point  at  ihe, 
sea  to  Ponta  da  Lenha. ) 

Ponta  da  Lenha  to  Boma 

Boma  to  Mussuko 

Mussuko  to  Xokki   .  . 

Nokki  to  Vivi  .  .  . 
Vivi  to  Leopoldville,  over-} 

land  j 

Leopoldville  to  Kimpoko  . 

Camp  

Camp  

Mswata  Station  .... 

Mswata  to  Kwamouth  Sta-) 

tion  I 

Camp  

Camp  

Bolobo  Station     .    .  . 

Bolobo  to  Ungende  .    .  . 

Camp  

Camp  

Lukolela  Station  .    .  . 

Lukolela   Station   to  De-) 
serted  Village  .    .  ./ 
Ngombe  Station  .    .  . 

Usindi  

Irebu   

Camp  

Equator  Station  . 

Carried  forward  .  . 


unci-  in 
Etig-iish 


Dp. 


110 

235 


121 
770~ 


7  0 


3  30 

3  30 
3  45 
1  15 
1  10 


94    0   94  0 

9    0  | 
10    0  V14  0 

10   o  I 

2  30|  13  0 


10  0 
10  0 
1  30 

8  0 

10  0 

10  0 

7  0 

5  0 

10  0 

6  45 
1  15 

10  0 
10  45 


243  45 


  tHUce  in 

English 
Miles. 

Brought  forward  .     .  .  770 

Kquator  Station  to  Camp  . 

Urauga   .. 

Camp   •• 

Camp  |  .. 

Bolombo  

Bangala  Station.Central  Iboko  122 

Camp  I  .. 

Camp  

Gamp  i  .. 

Camp  

Camp  

Camp  

Kubunga,  orUpoto  Station  208 
>e\v  Kubunga  .    .    .    .1  •• 

Camp  I 

Camp  ■  • 

Ibunda   

Lower  Yambinga  

Old  Yalulima   ....  99 

Yambungu   •• 

Basaka  ** 

Barun  •• 

Basoko   72 

C;imp  

Camp   • 

C;imp  |  .. 

Gamp  I  .. 

Camp  at  mouth  of  Chofu  . 
Stanley  Falls  Station  .    .  142 
Total  1413 


Up. 

town. 

H.  M. 

H.  SI. 

243  45 

162  5 

10  0 

7  0 

10  0 

10  0 

|22  0 

7  30 

7  0 

33  35 

10  0 

10  0 

10  0 

10  0 

10  0 

10  0 

4  20 

14*  5 

2  30 

O       !•          .  . 

10   ol  .. 

6  25!  .. 

3  50 

8  10 

17*  0 

8  15 

8  0 

8  0 

7  15 

15*30 

10  0 

10  o 

10  0 

10  o 

10  45 

5  15 

INDEX. 


Abed  bin  Salem,  slave  trader,  ii.  144 
Aborigines,  study  of  the,  i.  313,  314  ;  ideas 

of  barter  among,  i.  463 
Accident  to  Lieut.  Braconnier,  i.  316 
Accidents  few,  i.  226 

Accusation,  unjust,  against  the  expedition 

at  Mali  ma,  i.  299 
Actes  de  Navigation,  ii.  396,  397 
Adage,  error  of  an  old,  i.  iy8 
Adamoli,  Signor,  i.  35 
Adansonia,  i.  355  ;  ii.  354 
Aden,  i.  51 

Advice  for  the  tropics,  ii.  323  ;  inattention 

to  health,  ii.  320,  321 
Africa,   climate  wrongly  abused,  i.  66; 

climate  of,  ii.   281 ;  crossing,  i.  59 ; 

Europeans  in,  ii.  238 ;  past  isolation  of  1 

equatorial,  ii.  372  ;  reclaimable,  ii.  373  ;  | 

stations  on  the  east  coast,  i.  35,  36 ; 

unjust  abuse  of,  ii.  252 
African  and  European  life,  ii.  238,  239 
 Association   International,   ii.  259 ; 

fitst  expedition  of,  i.  3u 

 chiefs,  absurd  grandeur  of,  i.  291,  305 

 climate,  abuse  of,  ii.  284.  298 

 dialects  not  understood  among  the 

staff,  i.  196 
—  gardens,  what  may  be  grown  in,  ii. 

258 

 hill  scenes,  loneliness  of,  i.  95 

 International  Association,  i.  38;  ii. 

363  ;  its  foundation,  i.  33 
■  life,  delusions  regarding,  ii.  241,  242  ; 

life,  conditions  of  enjoyment  of,  ii.  248- 

250 

 produce :  table  of  value  in  Liverpool, 

ii.  368,  369 

 society,  the  German,  ii.  387 

 sunshine,  i.  94,  95 

 Trading  Company  :  see  Afrikaansche 

Handels-Yereeniging. 
Africans,  incapable  oi'  acting  in  unison, 

ii.  87 

Afrikaansche  Handels-Venootschap,  i.  29, 
38,  51,  72,  450 


Afrikaansche  Handel-- Yereeniging,  i.  29; 
otters  free  conveyance  and  accommoda- 
tion, i.  35;  38,  51*.  72,  156 
Agricultural  prospects,  i.  158,  391,  393, 

412,  414 
Ague,  ii.  328 

u  A.  I.  A."  steam  launch,  i.  477,  484,  501 ; 

ii.  57,  59,  116 
Ajakkas  invade  Congo,  i.  11,  12 
Albert  Mount  (Cameroons),  ii.  231 
Albion,  the  ss„  i.  28,  38,  39,  49,  57,  63,  61, 

67,  79,  83,  88,  91,  103-105,  107,  108 
Alfonso,  King,  i.  35 
Alima  River,  i.  233 

Allard,  Dr.,  i.  202,  228 ;  his  services,  ii. 
270.  271 

Alliances,  difficulty  of  forming,  i.  388 
Aloes,  ii.  354 

Amazon  Eiver,  i.  86 ;  comparison  to  the,  i. 

401 ;  ii.  9 
Ambacca,  i.  454. 

Ambassi  capital  of  Congo-land,  i.  11 
Ambeze',  see  Ambassi 
Ambrizette  River,  i.  17 
Ambush  at  Boloho,  ii.  58 
Amelot,  Mons.,  ii.  51,  56 
America,  i.  28 
Amomum,  ii.  358 

"Amour-propre"  on   the  Congo,  ii.  240, 
276 

Anchorage  at  Banana  Point,  i.  64 
I  Anglo- Portuguese  treaty,  ii.  381-384 
Angola,  i.  14;  Governor.— General  of,  i. 
453  ;  boundaries  of,  i.  455 
'<  Animal  life,  i.  176 
Animals,  domestic,  i.  394 
Anderson,  Captain,  i.  239,  258,  264,  268, 
284,  478,  481 ;  ii.  52,  264  ;  his  services, 
256,  257 

 Mr.  (English  Foreign  Office),  ii.  395 

Ankoli,  a  guide,  i.  415,  421,  424,  425,  429, 
433,  441 

Antelope,  i.  176,  509  ;  skins,  ii.  354 
Anzichana,  literally  people  of  the  interior, 
i.  3 


460 


INDEX. 


Anzichi,  literally  "  Inland,"  i.  3 
Arabs. — camp  of  slaves,  ii.  145  ;  character- 
istics, i.  40;  dhows,  employment  of,  i. 
4S  ;   incidents  of  slave-trading:,  ii.  169; 
slave-traders,  ii.  124,  133;  cunning  of, 
ii.  154;  on  the  Congo,  ii.  139;  over- 
taken, i:.  142  ;  stations  to  be  avoided,  i. 
40;  trading  communities,  ii.  360,  303 
Arabs  taken  down  river,  ii.  168 
Arachis  hypogea,  ii.  353 
Area  drained  by  rivers,  ii.  348;  by  navi- 
gable water,  ii.  366 
Ariel,  1 1. M.S.  i.  86  (note) 
Armament  of  an  expedition,  i.  47 
Armed  followers  of  Ngalyeraa,  i.  362,  363, 
365 

Armlets,  i.  428 

Arntz,  Professor,  on  treaties,  ii.  380 
"Artful  dodgers,"  ii.  246,  247 
Arthington  mission,  i.  496 
Artieles  for  baiter  and  trade,  i.  156,  157 

 included  in  the  stores,  i.  285 

Aruwimi  River,  ii.  115 

Assistant  chief,  qualifications  of  an,  i.  466 

Assistants,   disappointing,   ii.  244-246; 

successful,  ii  245 ' 
"Association  International  du  Congo,"  its 

objects,  i.  51,  52;  sovereignty  ceded  to 

the,  ii.  225 
Austro-Hungarian  committee,  i.  36 
Avarice  of  aborigines,  i.  46 
Axle  tree,  a  rotten,  i.  316 

Ba-bangi  tribe,  the,  i.  295 

Babari  tribe,  i.  506 

Babwende  territory,  i.  30 

Bacillus  Molarite,  ii.  319 

"  Bad  spirits  in  the  woods,"  i.  223,  224 

Bagamoyo,  i.  40,  45,  48 

Bagrnyu  tribe,  ii.  360 

Baggage  of  Europeans,  i.  285 

Bahamba  tribe,  ii.  170  ;  villages,  ii.  113 

Bahunga  tribe,  ii.  122,  151,  170;  marau- 
ders, ii.  133,  134,  137 

Bakanga  tribe,  ii.  38 

Baker,  Sir  Samuel,  ii.  358 

Bakonde  tribe,  ii.  360 

Bakongo,  i.  137,  148,  220  ;  ii.  209 ;  traders, 
jealousy  of,  i.  309;  ivory  traders,  i.  321 

Baknos  tribe,  ii.  360 

Bakumira,  ii.  345 

Bakumu  tribe,  ii.  360 

Balegga  tribe,  ii.  360 

Balh.y,  M.,  i.  231 ;  ii.  185,  395 

Balui,  ii.  43 ;  pirates,  ii.  68,  69,  70 ;  river, 
ii.  70,  345 

Balunda  tribe,  ii.  360 

Bamarungu  tribe,  ii.  360 

Bambarre,  i.  43 

Bamtumu  or  Wambundu,  i.  323 
Bamu  Island,  i.  389,  :-i95,  396,  505 
Banana,  i.  75,  76,  79,  81,  83,  87,  92 ;  ii.  310, 
319,  320,  310 


Banana  Creek,  i.  77,  85,  109,  116;  ii.  228, 

282,  468 

 ■  garden,  a,  i.  500 

 groves,  i.  432,  518;  ii.  99,  136,  193 

 Point,  i.  29,  31,  59,  62-64,  71,  91, 105, 

108,  14tf 
Bananas,  ii.  246,  357 
Banfunu  tribe,  i.  406,  505 
Bangala.  tribe,  ii.  21,  24,  25,  44,  56,  76,  79, 

80-83,  85,  172  ;  justice.,  ii.  176 
Bangweolo,  ii.  340 ;  lake,  ii.  358,  359  :  see 

also  Lake  Bemba. 
Bankruptcy  of  Congo  merchants,  i.  50 
Bankwa  of  Kinshassa,  i.  375 
Banning,  Mons.,  ii.  394 
Banquet  at  Vivi,  i.  153,  154 
Banunu  tribe,  i.  518 
Banyema  tribe,  ii.  360 
Banza,  a  village,  i.  161 ;  Chibweta,  i.  165; 

Kimpunzu,  i.  162,  163;  Kinle'le',  i.  165; 

Knlu,  i.  135,  161,  163,  165;  ii.  215; 

Lungn,  i.  161,  162,  165;  Manteka,  ii. 

214,  299,  303;  Mbuba,  ii.  207;  Mgan- 

gila,  i.  165;  Nkosi,  ii.  215;  Sombo,  i. 

161,  163 ;  Uvana,  i.  lol,  162,  165,  197, 

198,  199;  Vivi,  i.  129,  133 
Baobabs,  i.  355,  504 ;  ii.  5 
Bapti&t  missionaries,  i.  225;  missions,  i. 

496;  at  San  Salvador,  i.  13;  Missionary 

Society,  i.  13 ;  school,  native  children  at 

the,  ii.  208 
Barga,  ss.  i.  29,  67 
Bargaining  in  Congo-land,  i.  137 
Barometer  variations,  ii.  331 
Barrack  life  ami  Congo  life,  ii.  265 
Barter  among  aborigines,  i.  463 ;  and  trade, 

articles  for  African,  i.  156,  157 
Bartering,  i.  374, 383,  384, 444,  500  ;  ii.  15, 

16,  83 

Barth,  Dr.,  the  explorer,  ii.  385 

 description  of  the  Shari  River,  ii.  131 

Barua  tribe,  ii.  360  ;  villages,  ii.  113 
Barumba  tribe,  ii.  170 
Basaka  fishing  hamlets,  ii.  113 
Basazza  people,  i.  429 
Basoko  or  Basongo,  ii.  115,  119;  spears,  ii. 
356 

Basokos,  a  fine  people,  ii.  123 
Basongo :  see  Basoko. 
j  Bastian,  Dr.,  the  German  traveller,  i.  13, 
34 ;  ii.  387 
Basundi,  i.  73 

Baswa  Falls,  ii.  359;  fishermen,  ii.  134 

Bateke,  i.  73,  137,  148,  513 ;  ii.  28 ;  tribe, 
i.  295,  407 ;  ivory  traders,  i.  294 ;  sign 
of. "  not  guilty,"  i.  373 ;  ivory  trade 
of  the,  i.  384 

Baths,  advice  about,  ii.  326,  329 

Batuki  tribe,  ii.  38,  43,  71 

Bavranga,  ii.  345 

Bayneston,  i.  253;  ii.  298;  hill,  i.  254, 

255 

Bays  of  Lake  Leopold,  i.  437 


INDEX. 


4G1 


Bazombo  traders,  jealousy  of,  i.  309;  ivory 

traders,  i.  321 
Beads  as  currency,  ii.  101,  102 
Beamont,  M.  Boutkchier  de,  i.  35 
Beans,  ii.  243,  357 

Bed  of  the  Congo,  survey  of  the,  i.  402 
"  Beef  and  beer,''  Burton's  advice,  ii.  294, 
296 

Beer,  ii.  242,  282,  294,  295 ;  of  Mantu,  i. 
512 

Beeswax,  ii.  354 

Behaim,  Martin  de,  the  explorer,  i.  1 

Belgarde,  the  Abbe,  i.  16 

Belgian' officers,  i.  239;  military  officers, 

ii.  259 ;  colony,  Congo-land  not  a,  i.  54 ; 

enterprise,  ii.  388 
Beh/ique,  La,  ss.,  i.  68,  83,  91,  103,  104, 

107,  121.  144,  145,  149,  152,  196,  208, 

469 

Bekiqus  Creek,  i.  145 

Belgium,  i.  26,  28;  tue  first  to  establish  a 
national  committee,  i.  33;  foimatiou  ot 
its  International  Committee,  i.  34,  35 

Bemba,  Lake,-  i.  8 

Benevolence,  a  valuable  virtue,  ii.  166 
Bengo  River,  i.  454 
Benguella,  i.  456 

Benin,  Bight  of.  ii.  231  ;  river,  ii.  234 
Bentley,  Mr.,  i.  250 
Benzani  Congo,  a  chief,  i.  130,  161 
Bere,  another  name  for  Welle  River 
Beri  Mount,  ii.  211 
Berlin  Congo  Conference,  ii.  391-403 
Beverage  wanted,  a,  ii.  323 
Biangala,  i.  518;  ii.  57 
Bin  Kassim,  Sultan,  i.  43 
Binnie,  a  Scotch  engineer,  ii.  165,  272,  427, 
275,  276 

Birds,  i.  207,  417,  419,  436;  ii.  6,  8;  im- 
mense flocks  of.  ii.  17  ;  feathers,  ii.  354 
Bisa  plateau,  ii.  361 

Bismarck,  Prince,  ii.  384,  386,  387,  388, 
389,  3H0,  393,  396,  399,  402,  403,  407 

Biverre  River,  i.  70,  514;  ii.  129,  130-132, 
170,  349;  identical  with  the  Welle,  ii. 
130 

Blnck  babies,  our  "  fondness  "  for,  i.  239 
M  Blackmail's  pot,"  i.  101 
Black's,  Mr.  Wm.,  novels,  i.  401 
Black  Point,  ii.  229 

 rivers,  ii.  77,  359 

Blandy,  Mr.,  of  Madeira,  i.  153,  154 
Blankets,  ii.  324 

Block  house  at  Leopnldville,  i.  375,  376 
Bloeme,  Mr.  de,  i.  32,  73;  ii.  395 
Blood-brotherhood,  i.  30,  306,  385 ;  ii.  23, 

38,  48,  68,  79,  86,  89,  90,  104,  132,  171, 

177 

Blood-money,  i.  525,  527 
Bloodshed,  reasons  against,  i.  523,  524 
B.deko  of  Bangala,  ii.  80,  82,  83 
Bolobo,  i.  102,  507,  515-519,  521;  ii.  2,  4, 
26,  50,  52,  288 ;  serious  disturbances  at, 


i.  521;  assembly  of  chiefs,  i.  528;  centre 
of  ivory  trade,  ii.  2;  frugal  chiefs  at,  ii. 
2;  departure  of  a  flotilla  from,  ii.  3; 
burning  of,  ii.  56;  in  arms,  ii.  57,  58; 
second  burning  of,  ii.  183 
Bolombo,  ii.  79 

Boma,  i.  30,  31,  74,  86-89,  91-93,  96,  102, 
103,  105, 109, 113.  116, 132,  133, 143-145, 
156,  168,  171,  513  ;  ii.  ^87,  298,  310,  319, 
341 ;  a  zareeba,  i.  46;  its  history,  i.  96- 
101 ;  protectorate  at,  ii.  225;  sanatorium 
at,  ii.  228 ;  hospital  at,  ii.  271 

Bonibax,  ii  5,  30 

Bondeh  village,  ii.  126 

Bonny  River,  ii.  234 

Borneo,  ii.  379 

Bossi  missionary  station,  ii.  185 
Boundaries  of  Congo  Free  State,  ii.  401 ; 
of  territories,  ii.  400,  401 
!  Braconnier,  Lieut.,  i.  243,  253,  258,  273, 
!     276.  279,  286,  Biti 
Brand v,  ii.  252,  254 
Brass  collars,  i.  297,  428 

 rods  as  currencv,  i.  294,  374,  384,  488, 

524;  ii.  22,  28,  44,  52,  62,  64,  84,  102, 
243 

Brazils,  shipment  of  slaves  to  the,  i.  14 

Brazza,  Le  Comte  Savorgnau  de,  i.  292, 
231-234;  ii.  385 

Bread,  native,  i.  431 

Breadth  of  the  Congo,  i.  89 

Bridge  making,  i.  226 

Bridges, — across  ike  Bundi,  i.  18(5;  Bula 
River,  i.  187;  Luendu,  i.  187;  Lulu,  i 
187;  across  the  Nkusu,  i.  154,  186;  de- 
stroyed, i.  448;  Loa,  i.  201;  Nkusu, 
223;  Lukuluzi  River,  i.  312;  Inkissi, 

i.  316;  Utuvn,  i.  318 

British  Expedition  of  1816 :  see  Tuckey's 

Expedition. 
 cruisers  and  the  slave-trade,  l.  451 ; 

officers,  ii.  273 

 Government,  action  of  the,  ii.  380 

 exploration,  ii.  385 

Bronchitis,  ii.  327 

Brotherkood-blood ;  see  Blood-brotkerhood. 

Broyon,  Mons.,  i.  39,  -10 

Bruce,  James,  ii.  385;  definitions  of  heat, 

ii.  313 

Brusk  circles,  i.  356 

Brussels,  i.  25 ;  meeting  at  tke  palace,  26  ; 

Conference,  i.  33,  36 
Buehner,  ii.  387 

Buffalo,  i.  395;  river,  l.  212;  Soudi  killed 
by  a,  i.  253;  skins,  ii.  354;  and  lion 
frigkt,  ii.  51 

Buftaloes,  i.  176,  177,  509 ;  ii.  8,  241 

Bugnku  of  Ubuma,  i.  18;  son  of  Gankabi, 
i.  422  . 

Buka  Islaud,  i.  110 

Bukala,  l.  315 

Bula  River,  i.  180,  223,  224,  229 ;  bridge 
across  tke,  i.  187 


462 


INDEX. 


"  Bula  Matari  "  (Breaker  of  Rocks),  i.  148, 
109,  231,  382,  383  ;  ami  Makoko,  i.  328- 
331  ;  lirst  use  of  the  name,  i.  237  ;  recon- 
ciled to  Ngalyema,  i.  343  ;  dealings  with 
Ngalyema.  i.  357 ;  welcome  from  Go- 
bila,  i.  507 ;  acts  as  peacemaker,  ii.  20, 

27  ;  and  Stanley,  difference  between,  ii. 

28  ;  and  Mata  Bwyki.  ii.  89,  90 
Bula-mbemba  Point,  i.  05,  81 
Bulangungu,  i.  477 

Bumba,  ii.  104 

Bundi,  the,  i.  10 1.  179,  180  ;  river,  i.  172- 

175,  192,  207,  213,  220,  221,  322,  403; 

bridge  across  the,  i.  ISO  ;  valley,  i.  180  ; 

forest,  i.  192 ;  camp,  i.  227 
Banga  River,  ii.  00 ;  district,  ii.  170  :  see 

also  Isanga. 
Bungata,  ii.  32,  37;  district,  ii.  170 
Bunsen,  Dr.  George  Von,  i.  34 
Burial,  custom,  ii.  184;  place  of  Turkey's 

officers,  i.  Ill 
Burns;  Mr.  Spencer,  ii.  212,  225,  273,  274 
Burnt  Rocks  or  Montes  Quemadros,  i.  17 
Burroughs  and  Welcome  (London),  ii.  325 
Burton,  Captain  R.  F.,  i.  102  ;  ii.  385 
Buruki  River,  another  name  for  the  Ikel- 
,    emba,  q.v. 

 a  town,  ii.  33 

Burying  a  war,  ii.  45 

Busanga  Island,  ii.  153 

Busch,  Dr.,  ii.  402,  407 

Bush  Fences,  around  camps,  i.  46 

Butter,  ii.  324 

Butuuu,  ii.  19,21,23 

Bwa-bsva  Njali,  the  Chief,  290,  291,  292, 

303,  304,  377.  378  ;  ii.  53 
By-yanzi,  i.  137,  148;  ii.  1,  11,  13;  ivory 

sellers,  i.  290  ;  tribe,  the,  i.  295 ;  love  of 

grandeur,  i.  527 

Cabbage,  ii.  357 

Cabo  Lombo  boundary,  ii.  401 

Cadiz,  i.  408 

Cafe  best  for  breakfast,  ii.  321 
Caillie  Rene,  ii.  385 
Calamities  at  Leopoldville,  i.  480,  487 
Calamus  Indicus,  i.  510 ;  ii.  5.  0.  92,  354 
Calavanga  Islet,  i.  115,  120,  120,  128 
Calcite,  ii.  214 

Callewart,  Mons.,  rumoured  murder  of,  i. 
488 

Cam,  Diego,  i.  1,  9,  14 
Cambier,  Lieutenant,  i.  39 
Cameron,  ii.  3»5 
Cameroons  Mountains,  ii.  231 
Camoens'  reference  to  the  Zaire,  i.  2,  103 
Camp,  native,  i.  174 
Camps,  bush  fences  around,  i.  46 
Camwood  powder,  i.  384  ;  ii.  48,  356 
'•  Candle-berry  "  tree,  ii.  358 
Cannibalism  charged  against  the  expedi- 
tion, l.  375 
Canoe,  pnee  of  a  i.  43 ;  wreck  of  a,  ii.  49 


Canoes,  dragging  overland,  i.  190  ;  towing 
native,  i.  416;  speed  attained  by  native, 
ii.  1H  ;  kept  subtn.  r .  ed,  ii.  85 ;  at  villages, 
number  of,  ii.  109;  war,  ii.  114.  115;  an 
enormous  flotilla  of,  ii.  136,  137;  stand- 
ing on  end,  ii.  139,  141 

Canoe-wrights  of  Wenya,  ii.  160 

Cao,  Diego,  the  explorer,  see  Cam 

Caoutchouc  plant,  ii.  92,  97 

Capes,  Lopez,  i.  73  ;  Palmas,  i.  78 ;  S.  Juan, 
ii.  231 

Capital  subscribed  fur  the  expedition,  i.  26. 
27 

Captives  taken  by  slavers,  ii.  148 
Capuchin  Expedition,  the,  i.  4 ;  chronicle, 

i.  9  ;  monks  in  Congo-land,  i.  16 
Caravans  at  native  markets,  i.  282 ;  between 

stations,  i.  385 
Caravanserai  at  Pallaballa,  ii.  218 
Cargoes  of  ocean  steamers,  i.  92 
Carter  and  Cadenhead,  massacre  of,  l.  216 
Cashew,  the,  ii.  358 

Cassava,  ii.  243,  357  ;  bread,  i.  374 ;  plan- 
tations, i.  414  ;  decomposing,  ii.  84 

Castle  Hill  at  Vivi,  i.  115,  117-120,  123- 
127 ;  ii.  257 

Castor  oil,  ii.  353 

Casualties  during  a  year,  i.  241;  in  the 

expedition,  i.  283 
Catarrhs,  ii.  327 
Cattish,  ii.  160 
Cattle,  ii.  301 

Cemetery  at  Banana,  i,  75,  70 

Ceremony  of  Blood-brotherhood,  ii.  24  :  see 
also  Blood-brotherhood. 

Chambezi,  ii.  340;  described  by  Living- 
stone, ii,  302 ;  river,  identical  with  the 
Congo,  i.  8,  358;  region,  extent  of,  ii. 
361 ;  its  character,  ii.  362 

Character  of  the  natives,  i.  29,  30 

Cheese,  ii.  324 

Chibale  mountains,  the,  i.  8 ;  ii.  340,  361, 
362 

Chief,  a  jealous,  i.  522,  533 ;  a  brutal,  i. 
218-220  ;  a  Herculean,  ii.  85  ;  of  Stan- 
ley Falls  Station,  ii.  165 

Chiefs. — of  Congo,  i.  17;  in  an  expedition, 
i.  48  ;  on  the  east  coast,  the  obstructive,  i. 
40,  41,  43;  subsidised,  i.  54;  of  Vivi.  i. 
129,  130.  142 ;  of  Nsanda,  meeting  of 
the,  i.  104-170;  jurisdiction  of,  i.  295; 
military  strength  of,  i.  350;  treaties 
with,  i.  473-477  ;  power  of  native,  i.  508, 
509 ;  of  Bolobo,  assembly  of,  i.  528 ;  wealth 
of  native,  ii.  2,  3 ;  frugal,  ii.  2  ;  (native) 
farewell  at  Leopoldville,  ii.  191 ;  forms 
of  treaties  with  native,  ii.  195-197,  205, 
200 ;  (native)  and  districts,  list  of,  ii. 
198-204 

Chigoes,  i.  214 

Chikombo,  i.  46 

Chikwanga  (Cassava-bread  ,  ii.  10,  11 
Chili  pepper  and  tears,  ii.  40 


INDEX. 


403 


Chills,  dangers  of,  ii.  2S6,  287,  296,  297, 

30.4,  324,  327,  329 
Chilungu,  i.  475 
China,  the  88.  i.  455,  45G,  4G0 
Chinsalla,  i.   139,   161;   creek,  i.  110; 

plateau,  i.  127;  village,  i.  119,  123,  124 
Chioiizo  district,  i.  Ii5,   161,   163,  166; 

plateau,  i.  120,  125,  126 
Chofu  Kiver,  ii.  153 

Christianity,  conversion  of  the  Congo  king 
to,  i.  11 

Christmas  Day  at  Iboko,  ii.  173 ;  presents, 

i.  374 

C'hrit  topherson,  Albert,  Danish  sailor,  i.  71, 
107,  208,  224,  238,  239,  258,  264,  268, 
275,  347,  414,  44y ;  his  seivices,  ii.  255, 
256 

Chronicle  of  the  Capuchin  expedition,  i.  9 
Chroniclers,  unreliability  of  the  old,  i.  5 
Chumbiri,  i.  514,  515;  ii.  5,  26 
Chunyu,  i.  45 

Civilisation,  absence  of  conveniences  of,  ii. 
239 

Clapperton,  ii.  385 
Clarence  Cove,  ii.  231 
Cliffy  Point,  i.  487 

Climate,  abuse  of  the  African,  i.  66;  ii. 
284,  298 ;  and  conduct,  ii.  220,  221 ;  of 
Africa,  ii.  280  ;  of  Upper  Congo  regions, 

ii.  289 

Cloth  markets,  ii.  177 

 payments  in,  i.  193  ;  station  stores  of, 

i.  284 

Clothes  in  Africa,  European  old,  i.  130, 
131 

Clothing  in  the  tropics,  i.  65;  ii.  326 
Coal-trade,  the,  i.  74 

Coa>t,  the,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Congo,  i. 
61,  62 

Cocoa  as  a  beverage,  ii.  322 

Coffee,  ii.  375:  as  a  beverage,  ii.  322; 

shipped  at  Benguella,  i.  456 
Cognac,  ii.  242,  308 ;  dangers  of  the  petit 

verre,  i.  66 
Cola  nuts,  i.  384 

Cold  and  heat,  influence  of,  ii.  293,  294 

 in  Con<ro-land,  ii.  314,  315 

 camp,  i.  212 

 wat.r,  dangers  of  drinking,  ii.  315, 

317 

 winds,  i.  264 ;  ii.  298 ;  on  the  river, 

ii.  172 

Coldest  spot  in  the  country,  i.  210 

"  Colds,"  African,  ii.  286 

Collars  of  brass  wire,  i.  297 

Coloured  men  and  Europeans,  relative 

numbers  of,  i.  285 
Comber,  Mr.  T.  J.  (Baptist  Missionary),  i. 

17,  445,  496 
Comblaine  rifles,  i.  47 
Comite  of  the  Association,  i.  29,  37,  38,  114, 

150, 195,  225,  226,448  ;  aims  of  the,  i.  30, 

31,  38;  its  resolutions  ami  instructions, 


i.  26-28  ;  meetings  at  Brussels,  i.  26-28  ; 
its  objects,  i.  50 ;  change  of  name,  i.  51  ; 
indiscreet  disclosures  of  the,  i.  55,  56  ; 
d  Etudes  du  Hant  Congo,  its  formation, 
i.  26;  ii.  259;  Internationale  Associa- 
tion du  Congo,  ii.  259 ;  report  to,  i.  462 
Commerce  in  the  Congo  basin,  i.  30,  31  ; 
in  ground  nuts,  ii.  215 ;  free  on  the 
Congo,  ii.  390,  393 
Commercial  expeditions,  character  of,  i. 

24,  25 ;  travellers,  i.  210,  214 
Committees,  national,  i.  35,  36 
Commonwealth  of  stations,  i.  54 
Commune,  Mons  del,  ii.  225 
Communities,  ancient,  i.  316 
Communication  between  stations,  i.  285 
Compeigne,  M.  de,  i.  231 ;  ii.  385 
Compensation  for  murder,  i.  525,  527 
Complaints  from  the  staff,  i.  70,  71 
Conditions  of  enjoyment  of  African  life,  ii. 
248-250 

Confederation  at  Leopoldville,  i.  495  ;  of 

natives,  i.  53 
Conference  at  Berlin,  ii.  391 
Conferences,  native  fondness  for,  i.  167 
Congo  and  Central  African  Company,  i.  76, 
-  92 

 Cauon,  ii.  210;  atmosphere  of  the,  i. 

241 

 Free  State,  not  a  Belgian  Colony, 

i.  54  ;  build.ug  the  Free  State,  ii.  378  ; 

Free  State  territory,  ii.  365  ;  Free  State 

boundaries,  ii.  401 
Congo  la  Lemba,  i.  179 ;  ii.  217 ;  hills,  i. 

162 

Congo-land, erroneous  names  in,  i.  3;  begin- 
ning of  the  history  of,  i.  9  ;  subdivided 
into  dominions,  i.  10;  mission  in,  i.  11, 
13,  16;  the  slave-trade,  i.  14;  priper, 
extent  and  boundaries,  i.  11 ;  boundaries 
of,  i.  17;  essentiality  of  freemen  for  work 
in,  i.  62;  native  customs  not  to  be  changed, 
i.  53,  54  ;  business  intercourse  in,  i.  53  ; 
subdivisions  of  power  in,  i.  17-19;  the 
king  of,  breaks  the  allegiance  to  the 
Portuguese,  i.  12;  elders,  i.  17;  national 
flag  of,  i.  17;  Totela,  King  of,  i.  17 

Congo  hiver,  i.  20,  77;  altitude  at  Stanley 
Falls,  ii.  343  ;  beginning  the  ascent,  i. 
79  ;  barren  of  classic  associations,  i.  101  ; 
breadth  of  the,  i.  89;  force  and  sound- 
ings, i.  Ill ;  the  Brussels  proposals,  i.  26, 
27;  Camoens'  reference  to  the,  i.  103; 
commerce  on  the,  i.  58 ;  currents,  i.  114, 
115,  117,  249;  chiefs,  i.  17;  proposal  for 
negotiations  with  chiefs,  i.  52 ;  Christian 
missions  on  the,  i.  58  ;  compared  to  other 
rivers,  i.  401 ;  course  of  the.  ii.  343,  344; 
described  by  a  Capuchin  father,  i.  4  ; 
discovery  of  the  mouth,  i.  1,9:  districts 
and  their  native  chiefs,  list  of,  ii.  198-204; 
divisions  of  the,  ii.  340;  expedition,  i.24; 
exploiatiou,  how  to  utilise,  i  24;  lac- 


464  INDEX. 


tories,  i.  63,  64;  Father  Merolla's  de- 
scription of  the,  i.  4  ;  the  highway  of  the, 

i.  24 :  historically  without  fame,  i.  102  ; 
Islands,  i.  110,  249,  515,  516;  ii.  14.  30,  I 
38,  65,  97  ;  jottings  for  pilots  on  the,  i. 
403-405;  large  steamers  on  the,  ii.  7-9  ; 
length,  ii.  339  ;  length  of  its  tributaries, 

ii.  347 ;  Lopez's  extraordinary  descrip- 
tion of  the  l.mver,  i.  3  ;  (Lower),  de-  i 
scnption  of,  i.  80  ;  (Lower),  extent  of,  ii. 
340  :  merchants,  character  of,  i.  32  ;  mis- 
sionaries oa  the,  i.  490 ;  the  mouth  of 
the,  i.  61-63,  80,  81  :  navigation,  i.  85, 
86,  113,  114,  116;  ii.  339,  340,  346 ;  no  I 
distinctive  native  name  for  the,  i.  202 ; 
old  names  of  the,  i.  1,  2;  Purchas's  de- 
scription of  the,  i.  4,  5;  rise  and  fall,  i. 
8.7;  ships  for  the,  ii.  367;  soundings  at  | 
Vivi,  i.  128, 129 ;  soundings  on  the  river, 

i.  402;  steamers  for  the,  ii.  367;  tides  on 
the,  i.  87  ;  tributaries,  ii.  344,  352;  Tuc-  I 
key's  description  of  the,  i.  5,  6 ;  valley 
of  the  Lower,  i.  62 ;  villages,  ii.  45 ; 
volume  of  the  river,  i.  86,  87,  402,  403 ;  j 

ii.  132  ;  work  on  the,  ii.  252  ;  (Upper) 
first  steamer  on,  i.  375 ;  formation  of  the  | 
expedition,  i.  394;  expedition  (1883),  i. 
501  ;  traders,  ii.  21,  22,  23 ;  extent  of,  ii.  | 
340  ;  basin,  ii.  348  ;  products  of  the  region, 
ii.  352-358 

Congo  life  v.  Barrack  life,  ii.  265 

 basin,  table  of  our  actual  knowledge 

of  the,  ii.  364;  political  divisions  of  the, 
ii.  365  ;  development  of  the,  ii.  374 

  scenery,  i.  92-94,  111,   112,  124- 

126,  171-173,  175,  176,  179-184.  243- 
247,  250,  255,  256,  258,  262,  264,  324, 
325,  3S9-391,  3;. 6,  397,  399-401,  504, 
505,  511-513,  515,  516;  ii.  8,  9,  11,  17, 
45,  67,  77,  79,  91-93,  152 
Congoese  shrewdness  in  trade,  i.  137 
Conical  huts,  ii.  126,  127 
Constantine,  the  Grand  Duke.  i.  35 
Contracts,  character  of,  i.  31,  32 
Conveniences  of  civilisation  absent,  ii. 
239 

Convention,  delimitation,  ii.  400 

Con-  eying  stores,  155,  182,  210,  211,  214 

Copper,  ii.  356,  357,  375 

Coquilhat,  Lieut.,  ii.  38,  71,  76,  80,  177, 

178,  264.  267,  289 
Cordier,  Capitaine,  i.  475 
Cost  of  the  flotilla  of  the  Expedition,  i.  68 ; 

of  negotiations  at  Ntamo,  i.  310 
Costume,  natives  in  gorgeous,  i.  364 
Cotton,  growth  of,  ii.  358 
Cottonwood,  i.  430 

Countries  represented  at  Brussels  in  1878, 

i.  26,  28 
Country,  a  rich,  ii.  97 
Cow  ries,  as  currency,  ii.  102 
Creek  Town  (Old  Calabar),  ii.  233 
Crocodile  Creek,  i.  101 


Crocodiles,  i.  209,  398,  436 ;  ii.  2,  6,  8,  18  ; 

chased  by,  i.  245  ;  their  numbers,  i.  262  ; 

Isle  of,  i.  110 
Cross  River  (Calabar),  ii.  232 
Crudgington,  Mr.,  i.  250 
Cucumbers :  see  Vegetables. 
Cultivable  soil,  ii.  213 
Currency,  articles  of  native,  i.  193;  brass 

rods  as,  i.  294,  374,  384,  488,  524;  ii. 

22,  28,  44.  52,  62,  64, 84,  102,  243  ;  beads 

as,  ii.  101,  102;  change  of,  at  Langa- 

Langa,  ii.  101  ;  cowries  as,  ii.  102 
Currents  of  the  Congo,  i.  114,  115,  117, 

249 

Customs  difficulty  at  Sierra  Leone,  i.  57 

Daily  Telegraph  and  New  York  Herald 

Expedition,  i.  8,  58 
Daly,  Judge,  New  York,  i.  36 
Dance,  a  fierce,  i.  265,  266 ;  an  eccentric, 

i.  296 

Dauckelman,  Dr.,  ii.  313 ;  observations,  ii. 

310,  311,  330-334 
Danube,  comparison  to  t'.;e,  ii.  9 
Dapper,  the  Dutch  Geographer,  i.  12 
"Dark  Continent,"  the,  i.  20,  22,  189 
Dar  Salaam  port,  i.  44 
Date  palms,  ii.  5 
Daumas,  Beraud,  &  Co.,  i.  76 
Dead,  saluting  the,  i.  75 
Dealing,  prospective  results  of  fair,  i.  5? 
Deanes,  Mr.,  i.  15/,  210 
Death,  from  sickness,  ii.  290 ;  native  views 

of,  i.  tf92  ;  causes  of,  ii.  306-309;  during 

a  year,  i.  241  ;   occurring  in  the  cold 

season,  i.  283 
Deauville,  i.  23 
De  Barras,  the  explorer,  i.  2 
Decauville  railway,  laving  a,  ii.  223 
De  Courcel,  Baron,  ii.  388,  389,  390,  407 
De'-de'-de',  chief  of  Nsanda,  i.  116,  118, 

133,  138,  164,  166-168,  172,  180 
Defence  of  river  banks,  a  curious,  ii.  135 
Defensive  measures  at  a  station,  i.  376 
De  Launav,  Count,  ii.  394,  403 
Delbruk,  Herr,  i.  34 
Delimitation  Convention,  ii.  400 
Delusions  as  to  African  life,  241,  242 
Denham,  ii.  385 

Depopulation  through  slavery,  i.  96,  97 
Desolation,  an  effect  of  war,  i.  173 
De  Soto,  the  navigator,  ii.  374 
Destrain.  Lieut.,  ii.  225,  277 
Dews  to  be  guarded  against,  ii.  324 
Diamond  Rock,  i.  112,  113 
Diary  form  of  narrative,  advantages  of,  i. 
386 

Diegos  Bay,  i.  63 
Dieppe,  i.  23 

Dinner,  a  factory,  i.  72,  73;  a  first,  ii.  283 
Disappearance  of  two  men,  mvsterious,  i. 
370 

Disappointing  assistants,  ii.  244,  245 


INDEX. 


■10.J 


Disasters  at  Kimpoko,  ii.  50  ;  at  Kwa- 

nwuth.  ii.  55 
Discipline  on  Portuguese  ships,  laxity  of, 

i.  458,  4G0 
Discovery,  a  shocking,  ii.  142 
 of  Lake  Leopold,  i.  434,  435,  433;  of 

the  mouth  of  the  Congo,  i.  1 
Di.seu*sion  at  the  Berliu  Conference,  ii.  304 
Discussions  among  Europeans,  danger  of, 

i.  47 

Dishonesty  of  the  natives,  i.  304 
Distance  accomplished  in  a  year,  i.  241 

 between  Yivi  and  Isangila,  i.  180 ; 

traversed  io  the  Biyerre,  ii.  134 
D  stricts  and  their  native  chiefs,  list  of, 

ii.  108-204 

Disturbances  with  natives,  cause  of,  i.  150 
Divers  (bird),  i.  307,  43(5;  ii.  6 
Division  of  Stanley  Pool,  ii.  2ii3 
Diva  village,  ii.  98 

Doctors,  insufficient  knowledge  of  climate, 

ii.  318,  319,  321 
Dogs  ii-  2 

Dom  Pedro,  Kins?  of  Congo,  i.  17 

Donkeys,  Teneriffe,  i.  225 

Dover  Cliffs,  i.  324,  325.  396,  505 

Down  the  stream,  going,  ii.  108 

Dragon  flies,  i.  410 

Draper  Islands,  i.  82.  84 

Draughts,  cold,  ii.  305  ;  dangers  of,  ii.  285, 

280,  200,  -.vii 
Drees,  Frederic,  ii.  27G 
Dr  11.  a  life's,  ii.  200 

Drink,  ii.  282,  283,  201,  205,  322;  in  the 
tropics,  i.  05-07;  on  the  Lower  (  ongo, 
i.  103,104;  lemptations  to,  i.  84;  effects 
of,  ii.  251,  252-254 

Drowned,  a  native  boy,  i.  280 

Drowning  ca-es,  i.  480;  ii.  55 

Drugs  for  the  tropics,  ii.  325,  327 

1  humbird,  the.  i.  207 

Drum  signals,  curious,  ii.  158 

Dualla.  i.  273,  274,  270,  3U0,  307  ;  ii.  39-42, 
55,  04 

Ducks,  i.  417 

Dudoma,  i.  40 

Duke  Town  (Old  Calab.r),  ii.  232 
Dust  film  on  Lake  Leopold,  i.  434 
Dutalis,  Lieut,  i.  41.  43-45 
Dutch  conception  of  comfort,  i.  7G;  facto- 

ri(  s,  i.  04;  hoes,  i.  201 
"  Dutch  House,"  the,  i.  72 

 houses,  i.  75,  'i0 ;  hospitality  at,  i.  84 

 merchants,  bankruptcy  of,  i.  50 

 structures,  superiority  of,  i.  83,  84 

Dutrieux,  ML,  i.  42,  43 

Duty,  strict  performance  of,  i.  152;  the 

calls  of,  i.  22 
Duvevrier,  the  explorer,  ii.  385 
D\  sentery,  i.  207  ;  ii.  307,  328 

Farly  writers  on  Congo-land,  their  igno- 
lauce,  i.  3 


Fast  India  Company,  ii.  370 
Edwin  Arnold  River,  i.  287,  403 
Eela,  wife  of  Kibibi,  i.  370,  421,  422 
Egrets,  i.  417 

Klau  Guinei-nsis,  i.  74  ;  ii.  5,  342,  352 

Elders  of  Congo,  i.  17 

Elephants,  i.  170,  177,  305,  500  ;  ii.  8,  241, 

355,  350;  swimming,  i.  213 
El  iott,  Captain  J.  G.,  i.  470,  471,  470; 

ii.  225 

Flobey  Island  (Corisco  Bay),  ii.  231 
Embo-Enibo,  i.  410 

Emigrant,  questions  bv  an,  ii.  312,  313 

En  Avant.  ss.,  i.  08-70;  88,  104,  133,  131, 
144,  145,  154,  100,  100,  200,  211,  220, 
220,  227,  230,  400 :  ii.  12,  10,  20,  33-35, 
57,  58,  00,  87,  105,  110,  137,  142,  233; 
in  rust,  i.  483;  on  Stanley  Pool,  i.  308, 
9qq.\  on  the  Kwa  Paver,  i.  410;  under 
repair,  i.  201,  501 

England,  i.  20,  28;  and  Portugal,  treaty 
for  suppression  of  the  slave-trade,  i.  15; 
cause  of  withdrawal  from  the  Associa- 
tion, i.  3G;  difficulties  which  kept  it  aloof 
from  the  Association,  i.  34;  pedestiiau 
exercise  in,  i.  23 

English  factory  at  Boma.  i.  02 

Enje'li,  son  of '.Ngalyenia,  i.  30G,  382,  383; 
ii.  101 

Equatorial  Africa,  past  isolation  of,  ii.  372  ; 
the  heart  of,  i.  514 

Equator,  missionaries  at  the.  i.  40G :  stati  in, 
ii.  38,  30,  70, 177,  180, 182,  207,  289,  320 ; 
comfort  at,  ii.  70,  71-73 

Equipment  of  a  station,  ii.  243 ;  of  the  Ex- 
pedition, i,  20,  41,  42 

Errors  in  names  of  Congo-land,  i.  2,  3 

Escnpes  from  drowning,  i.  487 

teperance,  ss.,  i.  08.  83,  1<'4,  113,  114,  116, 

Eucalyptus,  the,  i.  103,  151 

Euphorbia,  i.  158  ;  ii.  353 

Euphrates,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 

Europe,  arrival  in  (1878),  i.  20 

European  and  African  life,  ii.  238,  239 

European  assistants,  i.  144 

Europeans  and  coloured  men,  relative  num- 
bers of,  i.  285 

Europeans,  arrival  of,  at  Lconoldville,  i. 
445;  arrival  of  young,  282;  finding 
delight  in  African  life,  i  218;  frigid 
towards  natives,  i.  248,  517;  health  ""of, 
152 ;  in  Africa,  ii.  238 ;  inconvenience!  of 
having  too  many,  i.  225,  220;  indolence 
of,  ii.  219,  224;  at  the  tropics,  i.  85; 
lesson  to,  from  nature,  ii.  210  ;  not  to  bo 
encouraged  in  discussion,  i.  47 ;  required 
in  Congodand,  (  lass  of,  i.  25 ;  to  bo 
isolated,  i.  47;  why  they  succumb,  i.  221 

Exercise,  best  hours  for,  ii.  320 

Exhibition  at  Leopoldville,  i.  379,  381 

Expedition,  African  Association's  first,  i. 
30;  French,  i.  159;  instructions  for  au 
Eastern,  i.  39  et  seq. ;  lost  in  the  bush 


Vol.  II.— 30 


466 


INDEX. 


an,  i.  382;  number  of  its  officers,  i.  67; 
Daily  Telegraph  and  New  York  Herald, 
i.  8;  stores,  ii.  76;  strength  of  the,  i. 
378 ;  the,  charged  as  being  mysterious, 
i.  55 ;  the  present,  i.  24  ;  considering  its 
character,  i.  24;  its  funds,  i.  26,  27;  its 
origin,  i.  21  ;  the  first  meeting,  i.  26.27; 
the  second  International,  i.  44;  to  Kwilu- 
Niadi,  i.  470,  471,  474,  476;  ii.  212; 
to  the  Congo,  i.  1-7  ;  to  the  Upper  Congo,  I 
start  of  the,  i.  394 ;  (1883)  to  the  Upper 
Congo,  its  strength,  i.  503;  to  the  Upper 
Congo,  stores  for  the,  i.  501,  502 

Expeditions,  equipment  for,  i.  41,  42 

Exploration,  a  slow,  i.  233  ;  by  Groat 
Britain,  ii.  385;  in  Africa,  ii.  373;  of 
the  Kwa  River,  i.  409-416;  on  the 
Congo,  class  of  men  required  for,  i.  58 

Exports  of  Boma,  i.  98 

Exposure  to  heat  or  cold,  ii.  315;  to  night 
air,  ii.  283-285,  308  ;  to  wet,  ii,  285 

Face-scarring  an  ornament,  ii.  100,  101 
Factories  at  B  >ma,  i.  91  ;  at  B  >nny,  ii.  234 ; 
at  Elobey  Island,  ii.  231 ;  at  Gaboon,  ii. 
231;  at  Ivi.ssanga,  i.  81,  82;  at  Mussuko, 
i.  112;  at  Porta  da  Lenha,  i.  82,  83;  at 
Nokki,  i.  113;  barter  at,  i.  85;  for  the 
Upper  Congo,  ii.  36J;  na'ive  trade  at,  i. 
55  ;  on  the  Congo,  i.  63,  64 
Factory,  coloured  help  at  a,  i.  73  ;  a  dinner 
at  a,  i.  72,  73  ;  managers,  i.  73 ;  stores, 

i.  74,  75 ;  work  at  a,  i.  74 
Fair  dealing  with  the  natives,  i.  170 
Faithful  officers,  ii.  255-279 
Famine,  a  sham,  ii.  16,  129;  at  Bolombo, 

ii.  79 
Fantail,  ii.  0 

Fares  from  Loanda  to  Lisbon,  i.  445 

Farquhar  Islands,  i.  82 

Fathomless  Point,  i.  81 

Feathers  of  tropic  birds,  ii.  354 

Fernandez.  Senor,  i.  15  j 

Fernando  Po,  ii.  231,  232 

Ferry  at  Nsekyii.  193;  Kondo,  ii.  214; 
on  Lumbamba  River,  i.  28S ;  on  the 
Gordon  Bennett,  i.  290  ;  traffic  at  Nsang'i, 
i.  479 

Ferry,  M.,  Jules,  ii.  388 
Fer iving,  dangerous,  ii.  J  57 
Fertile  land,  i.  186 

Fetish,  i.  200  ;  customs,  i.  385  ;  rock,  i.  89,  90 
Fetishism,  i.  305  ;  ii.  Ill 
Fever,  i.  444,  445  ;  at  Manvanga,  i.  271, 
272 

Fevers,  ii.  2S3,  284,  283-2S8,  296,  301, 

310,  322.  328 
Fibres,  ii.  354 
Ficus,  ii.  92 

Fiddler's  Elbow,  i.  112 
Fighting, — at  Bolobo,  effects  of,  60  ;  not  to 

be  rashly  begun,  i.  46 ;  power  of  chiefs, 

i.  350 


Fine,  a  heavy,  i.  472,  473 

Finery  of  chiefs,  i.  202 

Fines  for  bloodshed,  i.  524 

Fiote  law,  i.  220 

Firefly,  H  M.S.,  i.  86  (note) 

Fires,  annual,  i.  316  ;  destructive  of  vege- 
tation, i.  94,  180,  197 

Fi5h,  ii.  2,  243;  presents  of,  ii.  1G0;  smoke 
cured,  ii  159 

Fish-eagles,  i.  397,  436  ;  ii.  6 

Fishermen,  i.  256 ;  at  Manyanga,  i.  267 ; 
Baswa,  ii.  154;  Wenya,  ii.  154;  Yakui, 
ii.  125;  on  Lake  Leopold,  i.  438,  439, 
440;  on  the  Lukanga,  ii.  46;  Wane 
Rukura,  ii.  154 

Fisher  tribes,  154-159 

Fishing  hamlels,  i>.  113;  minnow,  i.  262; 
nets,  natives  milking,  ii.  159 ;  Wenya 
method  of,  ii.  157,  158 

Flag,  employment  of  the  Association's,  i. 
495  ;  importance  of  a  recognised,  i.  37, 
38;  national,  of  Congo,  i.  17;  of  the 
Association,  i.  3-5,  ii.  42  ;  the  choice  ot  a, 
i.  35 

Flamingoes,  ii.  6 

Flamini,  Francesco,  mechanician,  i.  68, 152, 
238,  2  .9,  244,  284,  381  ;  his  services,  ii. 
259 

Flamini  Island,  i.  253,  254 

Flannels,  wet,  ii.  284,  2S5,  310 

Flood,  possible,  at  Banana,  i.  78 ;  precau- 
tions against,  i.  83 

Flotilla  of  steamers,  the  expedition,  i.  68; 
its  cost,  i.  68 

Fog-;  to  be  guarded  against,  ii.  324 

Food,  abundant,  i.  257  ;  consumption  of,  i. 
221 ;  for  a  voyage,  ii.  76  ;  for  the  tropics, 
the  best,  ii.  294;  influence  of,  on  work, 

i.  154;  in  the  tropics,  i.  65,  199,  ii.  321, 
322, 323,  324,  329  ;  on  the  Congo,  i.  103: 
on  the  Upper  Congo,  ii.  10,  15:  quan- 
tity consumed  daily,  ii.  13 ;  scant  at 
Mfwa,  i.  295  :  scarcity  of,  i.  430,  sqq. ; 
scarcity  at  Leopoldville,  i.  480;  supply 
stopped,  i.  302,  303;  want  of  variety,  i. 
211 

Foraging,  free,  i.  222 

Forest,  a  dense,  ii.  13;  a  submerged,  i. 
443;  at  Luknlelt,  ii.  66,  67;  cutting 
through  the,  i.  221;  Lama  Lankori,  i. 
390;  lost  in  an  unexplored,  i.  177,  192; 

ii.  30,  91,  92,  93,  97,  98,  114,  215,  341, 
353,  374;  scenery,  ii.  5;  of  the  Lower 
Congo,  i.  S8,  89  ;  seen  from  the  coast,  i. 
62 

Fortifying  villages,  i.  524 

Fowls,  ii.  243  ;  as  food,  ii.  10 

France,  i.  26-28;  action  of,  ii.  381-390; 

ag  eement  of  the  Assoc'ation  with,  ii. 

388;  territories  of,  ii.  400,  403,  404 
Frankincense,  ii.  354,  374 
Franktown,  i.  476 

Free  commeice  on  the  Congo,  ii.  390-993 


INDEX. 


4G7 


Freemen,  in  Congo-land,  essentiality  of, 

i.  52 

Free  State  territory,  ii.  3G5 

Free  State  not  a  Belgian  colony,  i.  51 ;  Free 

State  boundaries,  ii.  401 
French. — Catholic  Mission  at  Bonia,  i.  100  ; 

expedition,  i.  159;  flag,  Malameen's,  i. 

292;  Missions  in  Congo-land,  i.  16;  ten  i- 

tory,  ii.  3G5 ;  compel  the  withdrawal 

of  the  Portuguese,  i.  14 ;  traders,  i.  92  ; 

treaty  with  Makoko,  i.  292 
Freive,  Sir  Bartle,  i.  36 
Fruit  eating,  ii.  326,  H27,  329 
Fruits,  i,  103,  148,  151,  152,  381,  393;  ii. 

71,  258,  357 
Fuel,  scarcity  on  the  Kwa,  i.  423,  428 
Fumu  Ntaba,  Chief  of  Bateke,  i.  507,  508, 

509,  510 
Furs,  ii.  375 

Fyne,  Loch,  in  Scotland,  i.  400 

Gaboon,  ii.  230;  factories,  ii.  231  ;  mis- 
sions, ii.  231 
Gad-flies,  i.  214,  419 

Gamankouo,  Chief  of  Malima,  i.  295-300, 
380 

Gambielc,  Chief  of  Kimpoko,  i.  298,  506 ; 

ii.  5G 

Game,  i.  205,  20G,  213,  222 
Gampa,  a  rival  of  Bwa-bwa  Njali's,  i.  308 
Ganchu,  i.  304,  30G,  381,  406,  407,  490 ;  ii. 
191 

Ganchu's  Point,  i.  408 
Gandelay,  a  Banfunu  chief,  i.  4^5,  406, 
407,  510 

Ganges,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 

Gankabi,  Qu<  en  of  Musve',  i.  415,  417,  418, 
421,  422,  424-42G,  433,  445;  ii.  27 

Gantiene',  i.  507 

Ganto  village,  j.  430 

Gardening,  season  for,  i.  381 

Gardens,  making,  i.  379,  4o9,  500 

Gardens,  ii.  245  ;  at  Fquator,  ii.  71 ;  at 
Leopoldville,  ii.  52  ;  at  Vivi,  laying  out, 
i.  147,  148  ;  what  may  be  grown  in  Cen- 
tral African,  ii.  258 

Garrison,  importance  of  a,  i.  121 

Garrisons  of  stations,  i.  285 

Gastric  fever,  i.  213 

Gatula,  a  Bolobo  thief,  i.  516,  517,  521, 

524,  525,  526,  527  ;  ii.  3 
Geographical  expeditions  inadequate,  i. 

24 

Geology,  ii.  209-211,  214;  at  Lake  Man- 
tuojba,  ii.  47-48 

German  Expedition,  1873-75,  i.  418;  ex- 
ploration, ii.  386,  387 

Germany,  i.  26;  action  of,  ii.  381,  381; 
formation  of  a  National  Committee,  i.  31 ; 
lectures  in,  ii.  399 

Giagas  invasion  :  see  Ajakkas. 

Gibraltar,  i.  52,  58 

Gillis,  Mr.  Albert  (Duke  Town),  ii.  233 


Gin,  ii.  251,  252,  282,  307  ;  used  as  cur- 
rency, i.  193 
Gin-drinking  natives,  i.  202 
Ginger,  wild,  ii.  358 
Giraffe,  ii.  241 

Giral,  a  French  quartermaster,  i.  408 
Glasgow  Chamber  of  Commerce,  ii.  383 
Glave,  Mr.,  ii.  6G,  183,  288 
Glover,  Sir  John,  i.  57,  58 
Goats,  ii.  243 
Goat-skins,  ii.  354 

Gobila,  Papa,  Chief  of  Mswatu,  i.  405,  408, 

409,  414,  507.  510,  511;  ii.  14 
Gold,  ii.  357,  375 
Goldsmith,  Sir  Frederick,  ii.  1S7 
Gong,  the  signal  of  the,  i.  340 
Goods  for  inland  trade,  superior  quality 

required,  i.  311 
"Good  View  Station,"  i.  505 
Gordon  Bennett  Kiver,  i.,  290,  293,  390, 

403 ;  ii.  53 
Gorelon,  General,  letter  from,  ii.  226  (note) ; 

promised  aid  of,  ii.  225,  226 
Goree,  i.  57 

Government  of  the  Free  State,  ii.  406,  407 
Giandv's,  Lieut.,  Expedition,  i.  13 
Grang,  Lieut.,  i.  382,  478,  481,  488,  489  ; 

ii.  269 
Granville,  Earl,  ii.  381 
Grass  burning,  i.  118,  180.  197 
 elensity  of,  i.  163;  height  of  the.  i. 

197;  tropicnl,  ii.  301,  302;  used  as  am- 

bushments,  i.  161 
Grave,  the  first  at  Leopoldville,  ii.  270 
;  Gray,  Mr.,  i.  73 

Green  snakes,  i.  205 
|  Grefulhe,  Mods.,  i.  43,  45,  49 
M  Grog,"  importance  of,  i.  193  ;  native 

fondness  for,  i.  149 
Ground-hog,  i.  205 

Ground  nuts,  i.  156,  414  ;  ii.  353  ;  in  com- 
merce, ii.  215,  342 
Groves  or  trees  a  sign  of  villages,  i.  62,  315 
Guava,  ii.  246 
Guiacum,  ii.  30,  67 
Guibourtia,  ii.  353 

Gnieles,  i.,  164,  171,  181,  182,  1S4,  410; 

ii.  :;.  28,  69,  153 
Guiltlessness,  curious  way  of  showing,  i. 

373 

Guinea-fowl.  ii.  8 

Gum-copal,  ii.  342,  353,  355  ;  trees,  ii.  97, 

98 ;  ii.  374 
Gums,  i.  384;  ii.  30 
Gunbearers,  i.  47,  48 

Gunpowder,  trade  in,  i.  75;  used  in  re- 
joicing, i.  373 
Gurba  Kiver,  ii.  131 

Guyot  Abbe',  a  missionary,  ii.  50,  268; 
drowned,  ii.  55 

Habit  and  nature,  i.  199 
Hair,  fashion  of  wearing,  i.  429 


INDEX. 


Hfimadi's  slavery  and  escape,  i.  260  i 
Hannsens,  Capt.,i.  382,  47«i,  477,  489,  518, 

520;  ii.  Hit'.,  188,  191,225,  227,  204;  his 

service*,  ii.  2(30,  201 
Harbour  at  Loanda,  i.  451 
Harkawaiiy  the,  85,  408 
Harou,  Lieuten  ,nt.  i.  243,  253,  258,  279, 

2S4,  408,  488 
Haite-beest,  i.  205,  200 
Ilathorne,  Captain,  i.  49 
Hanks,  i  419 

He  id,  protection  for  the,  ii.  318,  325 

Headquarters  at  Vivi,  i.  149,  151 

He  Jin  at  Boloho,  ii.  181,  185;  at  Equator 
Station,  ii.  74;  in  the  tropica,  Dr.  Mar- 
tin's advice,  ii.  329 

Health-table  of  stations,  ii.  300 

Heat  ami  cold  in  Con^o-land,  ii.  314,  315  ; 
influence  <  f,  ii.  293,  294 

Hi  at,  Br..ce*s  definitions  of,  ii.  313;  tro- 
pical, ii.  282 

Heliwa,  a  slave,  ii.  73 

Henry  VII.  Reuss,  Prince,  i.  34 

Herd  track*,  i.  177,  183,  201 

11  ron,  the  ss.,  i.  474 

Herzog,  Dr.,  i.  31 

Heuvel,  Dr.  Van  den,  ii.  53,  191 

Hides,  ii.  375 

Highland  levels  inhabited,  ii.  303 
Hills  seen  from  the  coast,  i.  02;  ''solemn- 
looking,"  i.  95 
Hindi  Savwa,  i.  48 

Hippopotami,  i.  395,  390,  398,  417,  421; 

ii.  2,  4,  0,  8,  211,  375;  feeding  ground,! 

90;  shootin-r,  i.  10J  ;  teeth,  ii.  351 
Hiring  men,  i.  31 
H  fdister,  Mr.,  ii.  272 
Holidays,  i.  153,  151 
Holland,  i.  20,  28 

Holy  Isle,  a  place  of  sepulchre,  i.  419 
Homesickness,  i.  225 
Homicidal  officer,  a,  ii.  55 
Honey,  ii.  304 

Honour  of  work,  ii.  278,  279 

Hop  Bitters,  ii.  318 

Hopkins,  Cautain,  H.M.  Consul,  i.  98 

Horses,  the  Isle  of,  i.  12 

Hospitable  mission  of  a  station,  i.  37 

Hospital  at  Boma,  ii.  271 

Hospitality  clangers  of  coast,  ii.  282,  283 

Hostages  left  at  Ntamo,  i.  309,  HKJ 

Hostile  natives,  i.  432,  442,  514 ;  ii.  4,  11, 

30,  78,  111,  113 
Hostility,  masktd,  i.  337  ;  native,  at  Ma- 

lima  and  Mfwa,  i.  300 
House,  advice  for  building  a,  ii.  323 
Houses  at  Vivi.  mapping  s  tns  for,  i.  117  ;  j 

means  of  defence  for,  i.  280 
Huard  Point,  i.  65,  77 
Hudson  River,  comparison  to,  i.  401 
Hutchinson,  Mrs.  Margaret,  i.  9 
Huts,  conical,  ii.  120,  127  :  formation  of 
•native,  ii.  103 


Hutzfeldr,  Count,  ii.  391 

Hvifrobromic  acid  in  cases  of  fever,  i.  272 

273,  271 
Hyphcetie  guineensis,  i.  510 
Hypochondria,  ii.  241 

lbaka.  Chief  of  Bolobo,  i.  518;  hisforv  of, 

i.  519,  520,521;  522,  524,  525,527;  ii. 

1,  15,  20,  29,  57,  00,  01,  04.  65 
Ibanza,  ii.  105  :  a  chief  of  Upoto,  ii.  171  ; 

the  dr.  adeJ,  ii.  62,  881 
Ibari  River,  another  name  for  the  Kwa, 

i.  412 
Ibingi,  ii.  47 
Ibis,  ii.  6,  8 

Iboko,  ii.  24,  25,  43,  44,09,  79,  et  seq.,  173- 

175,  178-180,  35H,  351 
  danger  at,  ii.  87 ;  swordsmiths,  ii. 

350 

Ibunda,  ii.  103 

Ichimpi  district,  i.  115,  121,  101,  163 
Idleness  of  natives,  i.  393 
Idols,  native,  i.  190 
Ifwe,  Chief  of  Muleke,  i.  429 
Ignorance  of  Africau  ciimate,  ii.  281, 
281 

Iguana  skin  girdles,  ii.  Ill 
Iguanas,  ii.  2 
Ikassa,  ii.  103,  170 

Ikelemba  River,  ii.  31,  32,  33,  34,  35,  36, 

37  ;  ii.  77,  78,  344 
Ikenge,  a  chief,  ii.  72 
Ikengo,  ii.  29,  30 
Ikingi,  ii.  98 
Ikiraism,  ii.  Ill 
Ikoko,  ii.  47 
lkub i  River,  ii.  05 
Ikulu  village,  ii.  12,  47 
Imeine,  ii.  Hti 
Impali  vill  ige,  i.  428 
Impango,  at  Gaboon,  ii.  230 
Impila,  i.  2'.)2 
Imports  of  Boma,  i.  98 
Indemnity  for  war,  ii.  61 
Indian  corn,  i.  381 

India-rubber,  ii.  355 ;  plant,  i.  192 ;  ii.  5, 

342,  353,  367,  375 
Indolence  of  ihe  natives,  i.  193 
Indus,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 
Industry,  the  spirit  of,  i.  142 
Inebriety  of  natives,  i.  315 
Inga,  i.  173,  175,  170,  177,  179 ;  cataracts, 

i.  100.  227;  peak,  i.  353,3^6;  plateau,  i. 

173,  221 
Inganda,  ii.  30-33,  38-42 
Ingham,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  ii.  212,  213,  355 
Ingva,  Chief  of  Mfwa,  i.  295,  307 
Inkissi,  ii.  192  ;  Falls,  ii.  211 ;  river,  i.  288, 

310,  317,  403,  478;  ii.  193 
Inkissism,  ii.  Ill 

Instructions  for  eastern  expeditions,  i.  45 
Instructions  framed  at  Brussels,  i.  27, 
28 


INDEX.  4G0 


Intemperance,  ii.  282,  283,  291,  305,  30G, 

307,  308,  311,  319,  322,  329 
International  African  Association,  ii.  259 
International  Association,  i.  37,  38 ;  its 

objects,  i.  40  ;  its  treaties,  i.  18  ;  financial 

position,  i.  35 
"International  Association  Africaine,"  its 

purpose,  i.  50 
International  Association's  work  at  Bom.i, 

i.  101 

International  cohesion,  ii.  379 ;  commis- 
sion, ii.  406;  Expedition,  the  second,  i. 
44 

Intoxicants,  abuse  of,  ii.  251,  252,  253, 
254 

Irebu,  ii.  21,  22,  23,  24.  25,  26,  38,  42,  43, 
44,  45,  G9,  354;  swordsmith.-,  ii.  356; 
warriors,  ii.  16 

Iringi,  ii.  98,  171 

Iron,  ii.  356  ;  houses  of  native  chiefs  at 
Calabar,  ii.  233;  manufactures  of  Yalu- 
Jima,  i.  Ill;  stores,  i.  147;  works  of 
Uvira,  ii-  364 

Ironstone,  ii.  67;  at  Lake  M.ntumba,  ii. 
47,  48 

Irrawaddy,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 
Inmgu,  ir.  127,  132 
Isanga  River,  ii.  315 
Isangi  town,  ii.  16.* 

Isangila,  i.  155,  160,  165,  167,  171,  175, 
181,  182,  184, 185,  186  ;  ii.  214,  215,  298, 
339,  369,  373,  382,  446,  471,  474,  476, 
478,  489,  513;  chiefs,  i.  184,  185; 
natives,  i.  237 ;  camp  at,  i.  239 ;  con- 
veying wagons  and  stores  to,  i.  240: 
staff  at,  i.  242  ;  stores  at,  i.  242  ;  sceneiy 
at,  i.  243,  2 14;  clearing  the  camp,  i 
248;  founding  a  station  at,  i,  283;  gar- 
rison at,  i.  285;  cataract,  i.  181,  184; 
falls,  i.  229. 

Islands  of  the  Congo,  i.  110,  249,  389,  515, 
516;  ii.  14,  3D,  38,  65,  97,  153 

Islands  uninhabitable,  i.  S2 

Isombo,  ii.  125 

Itaka,  ii.  152 

Itawa,  Eastern,  ii.  362 

Itimba  village,  i.  516 

ltimhiri  River,  ii.  10.',  110,  112,  131,  345, 
352 

Ituinba,  i.  518 
Itumbi,  i.  46;  ii.  57,  60,  61 
Itse  and  Ngalyema,  identity  of,  i.  304 
Itunziina  rapids,  i.  25*,  257 
Iuka  of  Lukolela,  ii.  14,  48,  68,  177 
lunga,  ii.  98 

Ivory,  ii.  364,  375;  purchase  of,  i.  380; 
sold  by  Watwa,  ii.  48;  trade,  the  eentie  i 
of  the,  ii.  2  ;   trade  at  Langa-Langa.  ! 

ii.  102;  trade,  Congo,  ii.  354,  355,  356  ;  I 
trade  at  Nganza,ii.  99;  traders,  But  eke',  ! 
i.  294;   tracers,  character  of.  i.  387 ;  i 
traders,  intrigues  of,  i.  319,  320,  321; 
trading  chiefs,  wealth  of.  i.  310,  311  ; 


trading  in,  i.  383,  384;  trading,  sum  as 
of  Xgalveraa  through,  i.  305 
!  Iyenzi,  ii.209 
Iyurubi,  ii.  11,  12;  mountain,  i.  321,  322, 
323,  333,  390  ;  ii.  192,  341 

Jaggas,  the,  invasion  :  see  Ajakkas. 
Janssen.  Lieut.,  i.  28:J>,  407,  -i'JO,  507  ;  ii. 
27,  50 ;  drowned,  ii.  55  ;  his  services, 
ii.  268 

Jatrophe  purgans,  ii.  3.;S 
Jays,  i.  207,  436 
Jealousy  of  a  chief,  i.  522,  52,1 
Jetta  Wali,  i.  45 

Jeune  Africaine,  the  launch,  i.  68,  144, 
196 

Jiwe-la-Singa,  i.  43.  46 
Jofio  II..  King  of  Portugal,  i.  1 
Johnston,  Mr.  H.  H.,  i.  102 
Jolly   Captain  (ss,   Kinsen.bo),   ii.  233, 
236 

Journeys,  time  occupied  in,  i.  191 
Jub  River,  i  58 
Jung,  letter  to  Mr.  Albert,  i.  29 
Jungle,  cutting  through  the,  i.  221 

Kabinda  i.  14,  31 

 cask-makers,  i.  74 

Kubmdas,  i.  140,  149.  153,  158,  159 
lvaika  Sanda,  i  163 
Kaishandi,  i.  163 

Kallina,  Lieut.,  i.  4S5,  492  ;  Point,  i.  353, 

395*,  396,  487 
Kalubu,  i.  261 

Kalulu  Falls,  lava  at,  ii  211 
Kamolondo,  a  chief,  i.  513 
Kaj.ita,  a  Vivi  chief,  i.  129 
Karema,  i.  42,  44;  lake,  i.  37;  chief  of 

slave-stealers,  ii.  144 
Kasongo,  ii.  360 ;  falls,  ii.  360 
Kas*on,  Mr.  John  A.,  ii.  398,  400 
Kawendi,  ii.  363 
Kemeh  Island.  418,  419 
Kerdyck  and  Pincoff.  Messrs.,  i.  31 
Khalfan,  i.  251 
Khamis,  Sergeant,  i.  519,  523 
Khonzo,  i.  238  ;  Ikulu  Hill,  i.  354  ;  Plain, 

i.  187 
Kibonda,  i.  260 

Kiburuga,  chief  of  slave-stealers,  ii.  144 
Kiki  stieam,  i.  322 
Ki-Kongo,  i.  142 
Kilauga,  i.  315 
"  Killing  the  road/  i.  314 
Kilolo  Point,  i.  248,  249 
Kimbangu,  i.  3'j3,  3J7,  405,  477;  ii.  3^ 

302  ;  chiefs,  i.  388 
Kimbanzi  Island,  i.  260,  261,263 
Kimbenza  village,  ii.  207 
Kimpalampa,  a  chief,  i.  323,  332,  490 
Kimpunzu,  i.  172 
Kimpe,  a  chief,  i.  490 
Kimpemba,  ii.  207 


470 


INDEX. 


Kimpoko,  i.  397,  477,  488;  ii.  51,  302; 
station,  i.  504,  505,  500 ;  troubles  at,  ii. 
50 

Kindolo,  i.  303.  397 

King  Leopold  II.  :  see  Leopold. 

Kinkanza,  ii.  <!15 

Kinduta,  i.  289  ;  mountains,  i.  390 
Kingani  River,  i.  4t>,  58 
Kingdom  of  the  Congo,"  Piqafetta's  book, 

i.  9 

Kingfishers,  i.  397;  ii.  6 
Kinkelu  Ndunga,  a  chief,  i.  1C5 
Kinkela-Nku,  a  chief,  i.  105 
Kinsembo  steamer,  ii.  228 
Kinsende,  i.  318 

Kinshassa,  i.  250,  375,  382,  393,  397,  477, 
495,  504  ;  ii.  51,  185,  289,  302,  305,  319, 
357 

Kinshassa  chiefs,  i.  388 
Kinswangu,  a  chief,  i.  490 
Kintamo,  i.  318,  340,  352,  375,  377,  3S2, 
391,  392,  393,  397,  479,  480,  495,  49S  : 

ii.  20,  26,  28,  29,  302 ;  cataract,  i.  352, 
389  ;  chiefs,  number  of,  i.  3.;0  ;  soothing 
the  chiefs,  i.  490 

Kintari  forest  mount,  i.  352 
Kinzila,  ii.  193 
Kinzore',  i.  315 
Kionzo  plateau,  ii.  216 
Kirkbright,  Mr.  John,  i.  145,  159,  196, 
209 

Kirkhoven,  Mons  ,  ii.  225 
Kissanga,  i.  81,  82,  85 
Kisungwa  of  Mkimbwete,  i.  105 
Kitabi,  whites  in  distress  at,  i.  476 
Kitalalo,  i.  46 
Kites,  i.  207 

Kiubi,  a  chief  of  Zinga,  i.  315 
Kiyanzi  beer,  i.  408 
Kizalu  Hill,  ii.  207 

Kokoro,  son  of  Mata  Bwyki,  ii.  80,  173, 

174  ;  recognises  his  son  a  thief,  ii.  174 
Kondo  Ferry,  ii.  214 
Konko,  an  ivory  trading  chief,  i.  370,  371 
Kruboys,  i.  31,  73 
Krumaners,  i.  31 

Krupp  gun,  astonishing  the  natives,  ii.  63 

Kubaba,  i.  48 

Kudu,  i.  126,  206 

Kulu,  Banz  i,  i.  201 

Kulu  natives,  i.  210 

Kuna,  i.  231  ;  station,  ii.  291 

Kunzu  Island,  i.  259,  260 

Kusserow,  Herr  von,  ii.  407 

Kutumpuku,  i.  519 

Kuvoko,  i.  250  ;  camp.  i.  253 

Kwa,ii.401;  river,  i.  409-410,  511;  ii.  30, 
50,  344  ;  description  of  the  river,  i.  431, 
432, 433 ;  different  colours  of  the  river, 
i.  419 

Kwamouth,  ii.  185  ;  station,  ii.  55,  50 
Kwango  River,  another  name  for  the  Kwa, 
i.  412 


Kwanza  River,  i.  11,  12,  454 

Kwilu-Niadi,  i.  489;  ii.  277;  expedition  to 
the,  i.  470,  471,  474,  476;  ii.  212;  river, 
i.  256,  257,  403 ;  ii.  214,  225 ;  Upper,  i. 
477 

La  Belgique,  ss. :  see  Belgique. 

Labour,  ad  vantage  of  human,  ii.  93,  94  ; 
heroes  of,  ii.  240 

Lacustrine  Kamolondo  River,  ii.  3G0 

Lady  Alice  Rapids,  i.  318 

Lagos,  ii.  236 

Laird  Macgregor,  ii.  385 

Lake  Bangweolo,  ii.  358,  359 

Lake  Leopold  II.,  i.  70,  481,  501 ;  ii.  27,  48  ; 
circumnavigated,  i.  443;  description  or, 
i.  443,  444 ;  discovery  of,  i.  434,  435, 
430  ;  fishermen,  i.  438.  439,  440 

Lakes— Mautumba,  ii.  27,  40,  47,  344,  354 ; 
Muta-Nzige,  ii.  358;  Tanganika,  i.  7,  20, 
35,  37,  40,  41,  43,  44,  40 ;  ii.  359,  303 

Lakes,  native  definition  of,  ii.  27 

Lama-Lankori,  forest  ridge,  i.  390;  hill, 
i.  351 

Lamborel,  Captain,  i.  43 

Land  cultivated,  i.  102;  fertility  of  the.  i. 
180;  ii.  211;  instructions  regarding  the 
purchase  of,  i.  27 ;  high  rent  for,  i.  J 38 

Landana,  ii.  229 

Landers,  ii.  385 

Landolpliia  Florida,  i.  192  :  ii.  5,  353 
Langa-Langa,  ii.  22,  09,  100,  353  ;  women 
of,  ii.  1 00 

Langenburg,  Prince  Hohenlohe,  ii.  399 
La  Plate,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 
Latrobe,  Mr.,  of  Baltimore,  i.  36 
Lava  at  Kalulu  Falls,  ii.  211 
Laws  of  the  Pangola,  ii.  179 
Lawbon-Lufini  River,  i.  509,  512,  513 ;  ii. 
345 

Lectures  on  Africa,  i.  25:  in  German}',  ii. 

399 

Leehumwa,  i.  46 

Lehrman,  Mons.,  i.  471 ;  ii.  212,  277 

Lenia,  i.  393,  397 ;  chiefs,  i.  388 

Leopard  skins,  ii.  354 

Le'opold  II.,  King  of  the  Belgians,  i.  21, 
22,  28,  33,  38,  39,  43  ;  ii.  237,  402,  407 

Le'opold  II.  Lake:  see  Lake  Leopold  ;  hill, 
i.  354,  389,  391,  495,  496  ;  ii.  189,  191 

Leopold  River,  ii.  359 

Leopoldville,  i.  149,  408,  442,  445,  469, 
477,  488,  513;  ii.  20,  38,  50,  51,  52,  53, 
55,  5t>,  57,  73,  288,  289,  290,  298,  304, 
305,  319.  339,  343,  357;  founding  of, 
i.  357.  370 ;  erecting  a  block  house  at, 
i.  375,  370;  built,  i.  379;  trading  at, 
i.  380,  383,  384;  naming  the  station,  i. 
380 ;  description  of,  i.  388,  38^ ;  the 
neigh!  ouring  natives,  i.  391;  no  food 
at,  i.  478,  479,  480 ;  neglected  state  of, 
i.  481,  482,  4,^3;  resignation  of  its  chief, 
i.  490;  difficulty  with  natives  at,  i.  491, 


INDEX. 


471 


492,  493,  431;  treaty  with  natives  at,  i. 
49f) ;  the  entrepot  ot  the  Upper  Congo, 

i.  498,500;  markei,  i.  500 ;  nourishing, 

ii.  180;  a  promising  farewell  at,  ii.  189, 
191 ;  first  grave  at,  ii.  270 

Lesseps,  Count  de,  i.  35 

Le  Stanley,  stern-wheeler,  ii.  225,  227 

Letters, — from  Ceneial  San  ford,  i.  36;  to 

Lieut  Cainbier  from  Stanley,  i.  39  ;  to 

Captain  Popelin,  i.  45  ;  to  Col.  Strauch,  i. 

52,  151-153.  189-194;  to  the  Coalite,  i. 

283 ;  to  the  President  of  the  Coinite',  ii. 

224 

Lettuces :  see  Vegetables. 

Levy  Hills,  the,  ii.  11 

Liberia,  ii,  379-382 

Liberty,  the  use  of,  i.  22,  23 

Licentiousness,  ii.  253 

Liebrechts,  Lieut.,  ii.  184,  277  ;  ii.  288,  289 

Life,  the  proper  use  of,  i.  84,  85 ;  on  the 

Congo,  ii.  248;  stupid  indifference  to, 

ii.  321 
Lightning  stone,  i.  90 
Lignum  vita?,  ii.  374 
Likona  River :  see  Isanga. 
Likuba  River,  another  name  for  Ikuba,  ii. 

185,  345 
Limbu  Li  Nzambi,  i.  90 
Limes,  ii.  246 

Limit  of  navigation  from  the  sr  a,  i.  116 
Lindi  branch  of  Chofu  River,  ii.  153 
Lindner,  Mr.,  i.  277,  278,  283,  286,  311, 
447 

Lingenji.  village,  ii.  57,  59 

Lingenji,  a  boy  trader,  i.  137,  518,  520 

Lingster  Nsakala,  the,  i.  116,  123 

'k  Lingster  "  traders,  i.  387 

Lion  and  buffalo  fight,  ii.  51 

Lions,  i.  509  ;  ii.  241 

Liou  skins,  ii.  354 

"  Liquoring-up,"  ii.  253 

Lira  River,  ii.  358,  359 

Little  Rapid  Camp,  i.  251 

Liverpool,  Chamber  of  Comm<  roe,  ii.  383 ; 

value  of  African  products,  ii.  368,  369 
Live  stock,  i.  150 
Livini,  i.  416 

Livingstone,  Dr.,  last  journey,  i.  7  ;  search 
for,  i.  13,  58;  is  found,  i.41 ;  his  opinion 
of  the  Congo,  i.  101 ;  his  head-man  Susi 
(see  Susi);  description  of  Chamtiezi,  ii. 
361,  362;  works,  ii.  11,  381,  385 

Livingstone  Cataracts,  i.  160  ;  Falls,  i.  102 ; 
ii.  339 

Livingstone  Inland  Congo  Mission,  i.  490  ; 

ii.  185,  214,  291  > 
Loa  River,  i.  135,  161,  162,  209,  322,  403; 

bridge  over  the,  i.  201 ;  valley,  i.  126, 

127,  172,  186,  196,  197 
Loauga,  Dr.  reschuel-Locche's  expedition 

to,  i.  376 
Loan  go,  ii.  229 
Log  Towers,  i.  356 


Lokinga  Mountains,  ii.  361 
Lokulu  River,  ii.  'Mil 

London  correspondence,  i.  25 ;  Missionary 

Society,  i,  40 
"  Long  "  of  cloth,  a,  i.  193 
Long  Reach,  i.  240,  245,  247 
Longevity,  instances  of,  i.  316 
Lopez,  Cape,  i.  73 

Lopez,  Duarto,  the  explorer,  i.  1,  2,  18  ; 

extraordinary  description  by,  i.  3 
Lr  sanswe  Mountains,  ii.  361 
Lost  in  the  forest,  i.  177 
Lounging,  i.  22,  23 
Low-wa  River,  ii.  358,  359 
Lualaba,  i.  233  ;  liver,  indentical  with  the 

Congo,  i.  8 
Lualla  River,  i.  403 
Luama  River,  ii.  353 

Luamba,  a  headman  of  Manyanga,  i. 
268 

Luopula  River,  identical  with  the  Congo, 

1.  8. 

Luazaza  River,  i.  182,  184 

Lubamba  River,  288,  318,  403  ;  ii.  225 

Lubansenzi  River,  ii.  361 

Lubilash  River,  ii.  169  ;  ii.  348,  351 

Lubiranzi  River,  ii.  169,  344,  315,  318 

Lubunga,  Chief  of  Upoto,  ii.  171 

Lucage'  River :  see  Kwilu. 

Luemba,  Chief  of  Kinsembe',  i.  318 

Luemme  River,  i.  488 

Luenda  River,  i.  180,  222,  226;  bridge 

across  the,  i.  187 
Lufu  River,  i.  105,  106,  115.  116,  120, 126, 

135, 115,  162,  166,  172,  403  ;  ii.  215,  359  ; 

valley,  i.  186 
Lufwenkenya,  i.  206 

Lugumbila,  Vizier  of  Ibaka,  i.  522,  527  ;  ii. 

2,  64 

Luigi  River,  ii.  359 
Luima  valley,  ii.  214 
Luindi  River,  ii.  353 
Luizi  River,  i.  403  ;  ii.  217 
Lukanga  River,  ii.  21,  27,  28,  45,  46,  344 
Lukunga.i.  260;  ii.  299;  valley,  ii.  212, 
213,  214 

Lukebu,  branch  of  Chofu  River,  ii.  153 
Lukolela,  ii.  13,  14,  15,  16,  21,  48,  49,  50, 
65,  66,  67,  183,  288,  354 
1  Luksic,  Monsieur,  suicide  of,  i.  489 
;  Lukuga  River  :  see  Luindi. 
I  Lukuluzi  River,  i.  312 
Lulu  River,  i.  180,  222,  22?,  227,  228,  322, 

403  ;  ii.  193  ;  bridge  across  the,  i.  187 
Lulungu  River,  ii.  32,  37,  76,  77,  78,  314, 
351 

Lumami,  Chief  of  Wane  Sironga,  ii.  157 ; 

river,  ii.  169,  3-! 8,  359 
Luniouzo  River,  i.  403;  ii.  214 
Lusalla  of  Mkimbwete,  i.  160,  199 
Lusengo,  ii.  173 

Lutee.  Chief  of  Banza  Lungu,  i.  218,  219, 
220,  382  ;  ii.  207,  208 


472 


INDEX. 


Luzalla  Kindunga,  ii  chief,  i.  165 
Lynch  law  in  Congo-land,  ii.  194 

Mahengu  mountain,  i.  391 
Maboku  village,  ii.  40 
Mahruki,  little,  i.  178  ;  273,  274,  27G,  277  ; 
300 

Mabula,  i.  41G.  417 

Mabwa  village,  i  41G 

Mackenzie,  Dr  (Duke  Town),  ii.  233 

Madiera,  i.  460,  4G1 

Mafii  Island,  i.  44 

M.i'-rwali.  a  chief  of  Irebu,  ii.  25,  26;  ii. 
43-4.) 

M    wale',  Mwaka  of  Mkimbwete,  i.  165 
Mahogany,  ii.  3<>,  G7,  374 
Malmney,  Mr.  Frank,  i.  159 
Maize,  ii.  357,  375 

Makabi,  an  ivory  factor,  i.  295:  a  chief  of 

Ntamo,  i.  306,  392.  490  ;  ii.  191 
Makancra.  a  chief .of  Zinga,  i.  315 
Makeya  Manguba,  i.  206,  208,  209,  213- 

215",  218,  221 
Makoko  of  Usansi,  i.  18;  Chief  of  Ml* 

cedes  territory  to  France,  i.  292,  293, 

298,  323,  332,  343,  507,  508,  326-331 ; 

ii.  192 
Makoku's  sword,  i.  332 
Makukuru,  a  chief  of  Nganza,  ii.  99 
Makula,  i.  112, 
Makuta,  i.  225 
Makweta,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Ma'at'u,  a  fee  for  a  judge,  ii.  44;  native 

name  for  palm  wine,  i.  295 
Ma'.aincen,  a  Senegal  sergeant,  i.  251.  292, 

293,  297.  299,  »75,  403 
Malaria,  ii.  287;  304,  305,  317 
Malele,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Malet,  Sir  Edward,  ii.  393,  396,  298,  399 
Malima.  i.  295.  509;  ii.  3,  302 
Malingering,  ii.  246,  247;  i.  379 
Mamballa,  i.  82 

Msimbwe  country,  i.  8 ;  ii.  364  ;  plateau,  ii. 
362 

Managers  of  factories,  i.  73 

Manchester  correspondence,!.  25  ;  produce,  ' 

i.  30  ;  Chamber  of  Commerce,  ii.  383 
Manga,  i.  518,  519,  520,  525  ;  ii.  57,  58,  i 

60,  61 

Mangi,  a  chief  of  Itimbi,  ii.  2 
Mangoes  at  Gaboon,  ii.  231 ;  Congo,  ii. 
246 

Mangombo,  chief  of  Irebu,  ii.  20,  21,  22,  23, 

24,  25,  26.  42-45 
Mangrove,  i.  77 
Manguro,  of  Bclobo,  ii.  2 
Mani  village,  ii.  207 
Mai  doc,  ii.  357 

Manipambii  of  Loan  go,  i.  18;  chief  of; 

Chissanga,  i.  474 
Manload?,  weight  of,  i.  242,  346 
Manswala,  a  i-hief,  i.  490  ;  ii.  191 
Mantcka.  ii.  215 


Mania  beer.  i.  512  ;  village,  511,  512 
Mantumba  Lak.-,  ii.  27,  46,  47,  344,  354 
M;.nvansa,  i.  70,  191.  192,  212,  2i6,  266, 
267,  268,  269,  270,  271,  375,  377,  381, 
422.  445,  476,  477,  478,  489,  513  ;  ii  211, 
287,  289,  292,  298,  301,  320,  339,370; 
contract  with  the  ch;ef,  i.  278,  279; 
market,  incident  at.  i.  281 ;  erecting  tae 
station  at,  i.  279 ;  support  of  ihe  fetation, 

i.  283;  intended  as  a  central  depot,  i. 
284  ;  garrison  at,  i.  285  ;  troubles  at,  ii. 
52;  an  expensive  station,  ii.  212 

Man  vara,  i.  43 
Manyema  i.  8 
March,  Mons.,  i.  231 
Marches,  hours  for,  ii.  314,  324 
Marenga  Mkali,  i.  46 
Mariatta,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Marigny,  Marquis  de,  i.  14 
Maringu,  ii.  363 

Maritime  and  mountain  region,  area  of, 

ii.  343  ;  region  of  the  Congo,  description 
of,  ii.  310,  311 

Market,  incident  at  Manyangi,  i.  281 ;  at 

Le'opoldville,  L  500  ;  for  animals,  ii.  2  ■. 
Marketing,  native,  i.  221,  254 
Markits,  ii.  245;  fixed  davs  for  native,  i. 

203;  native,  i.  282;    » losing,  i.  319; 

Uyanzi,  i.  421 ;  Stanley  Pool,  i.  421  ; 

cloth,  ii.  177  ;  at  Ujiji,  ii.  364 
Marking-ink  plant,  ii.  358 
Marriage  celebration  at  Kintamo,  i.  377 
Marseilles,  i.  21 

Martinson,  Martin,  Danish  sailor,  i.  71, 

107,  208,  212 
Ma-sikamba,  i.  40-41,  46 
Masiku  of  Masanda,  i.  165 
Masaa.be',  i.  488  ;  boundary,  ii.  401 
Massacre,   threatened   with,   i.   304 ;  a 

horrible  sacrificial,  ii.  180-182 
Massala,  the  Lingster,  i.  123,  132.  133, 

135,  136,  161,  shootiu: 
Massari,  Signor,  ii.  225 
Massassa,  i.  315 

Mata  Bwvki  of  Bangala,  ii.  80-82,  84,  85, 

87,  89,  173,  178 
Ma-taddi  Xzazzi,  i.  90 
Mataddi  Point,  i.  115 
Matako  (brass  rod>),  ii.  22 
Matanga,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Matoma's  village,  i.  488 
Mavaugu,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Mawembe,  ii.  138 
Maxwell,  Captain,  i.  82.  86,  112 
Mayflower  (the)  in  1620,  ii.  379 
Mayomb  i ;  see  Mvumba. 
MaWimba  Bav,  i."  114,  115,  120 
Mballa,  a  chief,  i.  490 
Mbama  Hill,  i.  347 
Mbangu,  i.  518 

Mbe  district,  i.  507,  509-513 ;  ii.  192 
Mbelo,  i.  315  ;  ii.  210 
Mbembe-Kissa,  i.  248 


INDEX. 


473 


Mbembe,  son  of  Mata  Bwyki,  ii.  173 
Mbilie,  i.  421-421;  liver,  L  410-411;  ii. 
344 

Mbika,  Eiver,  i.  287,  403 

Mbimbi,  ii.  193,  194,207 

Mboma  :  see  Boma. 

Mbundi  Aftmda  rapids,  i.  253 

M  hurra,  native  name  for  Congo,  ii.  135 

Mbutehi,  i.  422 

Meats,  tinned,  ii.  322 

Medical  attendance,  i.  152  ;  luxuries,  ii. 
247 

Me  licine  men,  i.  199,  200 
"Medicine  lo  make  wealth  grow,"  ii.  28 
Medicines  for  the  tropics,  ii.  325,  327 
Mediterranean,  i.  28 

Meeting  at  the  Royal  Palace,  Brussels, 
i.  26 

Melons :  see  Fiuit. 

Memorial  stones  of  the  Poituguese,  i.  14 
Memory,  a  good,  i.  297 
Men  for  the  expedition,  hiring,  i.  31 
Men-at-arms  at  Vivi,  i.  130 
Men-of-war  at  Ponta  da  Lenha,  i.  85 
Merchants  on  the  Congo,  their  character, 

i.  32 

Meri,  another  name  for  "Welle  River, 
Merolla.  Father,  explor,  r,  i.  2  :  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  great  river,  i.  4,  18 
Mete,  a  chief,  i.  105 

Meteorological  tables,  ii.  330-338  ;  obser- 
vations, ii.  312 
Mfini  River,  i.  410,  411,  419,  421,  422, 424  ; 

ii.  27 

Mfwa,  i.  251,  294,  295,  300,  478,  509  ;  ii. 
302 

Mgamraism,  ii.  Ill 

M-angila,  i.  179,  201,  210  ;  chiefs,  i.  202  ; 
plateau,  ii.  21G 

Miani,  another  name  for  Welle  River. 

Miasma,  ii.  287,  304,  310,  311,  317,  319 

Mickic,  Mr.,  ii.  225 

"MiddL  men  "  traders,  i.  387 

Mikene  River,  i.  519  ;  ii.  G5 

Mikene'-Alima  River,  ii.  345 

Mikunga,  i.  393,  397  ;  i  hiefs,  i.  388 

Mileage  of  journeys,  i.  190,  191 

Milk  unobtainable,  ii.  322 

Millet,  ii.  357  ;  i  read,  i.  431 

Minerals,  ii.  356 

Minnow  fishing,  i.  262 

Mirambo,  a  faithful  rs~,  i.  184 

Mirando,  King  of  Crambo,  i.  39,  40 

Missionaries  misrepresenting  the  traders, 
i.  100  ;  Baptist,  225  ;  re  pulsed  by  natives, 
i.  251 ;  Roman  Catholic,  repulsed  by  the 
natives,  i.  308,  445 ;   at  Lcopoldville, 

i.  493 

Mission,  a  pretty,  station,  ii.  212,  213; 
children,  ii.  213;  at  Banza  Manteka, 

ii.  214;  at  Pallaballa,  ii.  217:  (French; 
at  Landa-  a,  ii.  229  :  at  Gaboon,  ii.  231  ; 
at  Creek  Town  (Calab.ir),  ii.  233 


Missions  in  Congo-land,  i.  11,  13,  16; 
French  Catholic,  at  Boma,  i.  100;  con- 
tending, i.  496,  497;  Roman  Catholic, 
ii.  50;  at  Lcopoldville,  ii.  50 

Missionary  effort*,  ii.  185  ;  ttations,  ii.  363  ; 
enterprise,  ii.  H77 

Missionary  Society,  London,  i.  40 

Mississippi,  comparison  to,  i.  401  ;  ii.  78, 
374,  375 

Missongo  missionary  station,  ii.  185 
Mivongo  of  Usindi,  "ii.  49,  50,  58,  60, 61 ,  65, 

67-69,  80,  182,  345 
Moderat  on  in  food  and  drink,  ii.  295 
Moeni  Kheii,  i.  42 

Moenzi  Xzaddi,  native  name  for  the  river, 
i.  7 

Moffat,  Dr.,  ii.  385 

Mohindu  River,  ii.  32,  344:  see  IVelembo. 
Mokulu  Town,  ii.  115-119,  124,  133 
Mombas-a  Creek,  i.  58 
Mompara,  i.  40,  42 
Mompurengi  villages,  i.  515 
Momuiga,  a  chief  of  Z  nsra,  i.  315.  316 
Monet,  Mods.,  ii.  224,  277 
Money  carried  by  an  expedition,  i.  48 

 fines  for  bloodshed,  i.  524 

Mongo,  i.  518;  ii.  57;  a  chief,  i.  519 
Monkey  skins,  ii.  354 

 islauds,  i.  82 

Monkeys,  ii.  6,  8 

Monotony  of  scenery,  ii.  5 

Montes  Quemados,  i.  17 

Monticm,  Joachim,  i.  102 

Moore,  Mr.  A.  H..  i.  145,  159,  196,  209 

Morgan,  U.S.  Senator,  i.  36 

Morton  &  Co.,  Francis,  London,  i.  145 

Mosquito  nets,  i.  422 

Mosquitoes,  i.  422 

Mountain  and  maritime  region,  area  of,  ii. 
343 

Mountainous  region  of  the  Congo,  ii.  341 
Mountains,  i.  390,  391 
Mowa,  i.  287,  315,  469 
Mpa,  ii.  98 

Mpagassa,  209,  210  ;  River,  i.  164.  201  204 
Mpakambendi.  i.  2S6,  287.  311,  312,  316, 

445  ;  ii.  207.  210 
Mpalauga.  i.  321,  322,  403 ;  a  breakdown 

at,  i.  480 
Mpama,  an  erroneous  name,  i.  3 
Mpamba  Njrnlu,  i.  175,  179,  18 1 
Mpangi,  i.  163 
Mpangu,  ii.  208,  209,  211 
Mpika,  a  chief  of  Irehu.  ii.  25,  26,  42,  43, 

44,  45  ;  villa- e,  ii.  2U7 
Mpioga  River,  ii.  211 
Mpissa,  ii.  171 
Mpokwa,  i.  46 
Mpozo  River,  i.  403 
Mpumbu  market,  n.  2 
Mpumu  Ntaba,  i.  407,  408;  of  Mbe,  i.  18 
Mputu  Creek,  i.  64 
Mpwapwa,  i.  49 


474 


INDEX. 


Mpwelele,  i.  165 

Msampala,  i.  288:  narrows,  i.  HI 8 
Msenne,  the  guide,  ii.,  14, :{'».  40,  44 
Mswata,  i.  398,  399,  405-409,  422,  436, 

445,  481,  507.  50.) ;  ii.  20,  5'J,  51,  55,  302  ; 

growth  of,  i.  511 
Mtesa  of  Uganda,  i.  201 
Mubangu,  ii.  215 

Mubi,  a  chief  of  Ntamo,  i.  30G,  49D  ;  ii. 
L9] 

Mud  alive  with  crabs,  i.  77 

Muijub.i,  a  chief,  i.  513 

Mukana,  village,  i.  432;  Puiut,  i.  254,  255 

31  ukondokwa,  i.  46 

Mukoss  liiver,  i.  288,  289 

Mukuku,  chief  of  Vambinga.  ii.  107-109 

Muleke  district,  i.  42  3,  420 

Muller,  Mons.,  i.  73 

Muluangu,  ii.  214 

Mnlwassi  liiver,  ii.  207 

Mundele,  meauinga  white,  i.  132  ;  Masuna 

plains,  i.  390 
Mungala,  i.  286 
Mungawa,  a  chief,  ii.  14,  48 
Mungolo,  i.  518  ;  ii.  57,  50 
Munroe,  Mr.  J.  (Duke  Town),  ii.  233 
Minister,  Count,  ii.  384 
Murehison,  Sir  Roderick,  i.  7 
Murder,  a  rumour  of,  i,  480  ;  of  two  men  at 

13olobo,  i.  51(5,  517,  523  ;  compensation 

for,  i.  525,  527 
Muscovy  ducks,  ii.  13 
Mushirongos,  i.  83 
Mus<anga-land,  ii.  109 
Mussuko,  i.  74,  90,  105;  108,  112,  113,  133, 

141,  144,  145,  449;  ii.  302 
Musye,  i.  415,  419-422 

 Munono,  i.  431,  432,  444 

Muta-Nzige  Lake,  ii.  358 
Mutembo,  ii.  91,  94,  96,  111 
Mutumba  village,  i.  433 
Muvanga,  i.  103 

Muzonzila,  i.  102,  101,  106,  172,  186 
Mvula,  a  chief  ot  Zinga,  i.  315,  316 
Mvuzi  streamlet,  i  173 
Mwana  Mundele,  i.  380 
Mwekwanga,  a  chief,  i,  519,  520,  525 
Mwembe,  ii.  214 
Mweru  Lake,  i.  8;  ii.  340,  360 
Mwitikira,  i.  46 

Myombi,  cliief  of  Bumba,  ii.  104 
Myrrh,  ii.  354,  374 

Mystification,  charge  on  the  expedition, 

i.  55 
Myumba,  ii.  229 

Xaehtigal,  Dr.,  i.  34,  36 ;  ii.  385 
Nakussa,  a  headman  ot  Manyanga,  i.  268 
Name  of  Stanley  picked  up  by  natives, 

ii.  17 

National  Committees,  i.  35,  36 
Natives,— character,  i.  29,  30,313,  314;  ii. 
343  ;  avarice,  i.  46 :  confederation,  i.  53  ; 


customs  not  to  be  changed,  i.  53,  54; 
workmen,  i.  146,  149;  stories  of  the 
white  man,  i.  184;  tracks,  i.  192;  in- 
dolence, i.  193;  fondness  of  gin,  i.  202; 
friendliness,  i.  254  ;  hostility  aroused  at 
Malima  and  Mfwa,  i.  300;  dishonesty, 

i.  304  ;  inebriety,  i.  315 ;  idleness,  i.  303 ; 
experience  of  huropeans,  i.  517  ;  chiefs, 
wealth  of,  ii.  2,  3;  definition  of  livers 
and  lakes,  ii.  27  ;  superstitions,  ii.  28,  29 ; 
surprise  at  steamers,  ii.  12,  16,  29,  105  ; 
manufacture  of  pottery,  ii.  48;  wars, 
flight  provocation  of,  ii.  62;  visitors  at 
Le'opoldville,  influence  of,  ii.  73  ;  roads, 

ii.  104;  drum  signals,  ii.  158;  chiefs  and 
districts,  list  of,  ii.  198-201;  workeiv, 

i.  203;  chiefs,  forms  of  treaties  with,  ii. 
195,  196,  197,  205,  206;  enlistment  for 
transport,  ii.  225;  chief's  at  Calabar, 
iron  houses  of,  ii.  233;  villages,  healthy 
sites  of,  ii.  302,  303 ;  eagerness  for  trade, 

ii.  367  ;  chiefs,  treaties  with,  ii.  379,  380 ; 
chiefs,  soothing,  i.  490,  491 ;  roads,  i. 
189;  welcome,  a  happy,  ii.  19:  how  to 
trade  with,  i.  99,  1U0;  surprise  at  pa  d 
work,  i.  143,  144;  liable  to  conceive  sus- 
picion, i.  169,  17U  ;  fair  d  aling  with 
the,  i.  170;  visiting  Vivi,  i.  189;  too 
rich  to  work,  i.  193;  European  frigid 
towards,  i.  248  ;  doubtful  at  Manyanga, 
i.  269 ;   dangers  of  rupture  witn  th 

i.  314;  refusing  to  attack  us,  i.  36J  ; 
Mfwa,  i.  374 ;  companionable,  i.  392, 
394;  hostile,  i.  432,  442,  514;  ii.  4,  11, 
36,  78,  111,  113;  feasibility  of  trade 
with,  i.  463;  friendly  welcome  from,  i. 
481 ;  treaties  with,  i.  495 ;  ii.  48 ;  at 
Leopoldvdle,  difficulty  with,  i.  491- 
494  ;  difficulties  of  quarrels  with,  i.  523, 
524,  526  ;  mercantile  knowledge  among, 

ii.  22,  23;  war  dan^e  of,  ii.  35;  praising 
their  villages,  ii.  30  :  expressionless,  ii. 
68;  timid,  ii.  103,  127;  skilful  «oik- 
manship  of,  ii.  123;  unfortunate,  ii.  140  ; 
thieving,  ii.  84,  173,  174;  at  war,  ii.  23 
-25 

Nature  and  Habit,  i.  199 
Navigation,  Actes  de,  ii.  396,  397 
Navigation  of  the  Congo,  i.  85,  86,  113,  114, 

116;  ii.  339,  340,  346,  366;  Lubilasli, 

ii.  100;  Lumani,  ii.  109 
Nchuvila,  chief  of  Kiushassa,  i.  250,  298, 

375 

Ndambi  Mbongo,  i.  105,  175,  180,  231, 

234 ;  natives,  i.  237 
Ndinga,  chief  of  Bolombo,  ii.  84 
Ndobo  village,  ii.  103 
Ndu  Kumbi,  i.  430 
Ndua,  i.  429,  430 

Ndunga,  i.  205,  269  ;  ii.  212 ;  dancing,  i. 

265,  266  ;  mountains,  i.  261 ;  rapids,  i. 

262,  264  266 
Negotiations  at  Ntanio>  coast  of,  i.  310; 


INDEX. 


475 


■with  Ngalyeraa,  difficult,  i.  308,  'MY.) ;  at 
Usansi.i.  327-331;  tedious  with  Africans, 
i.  429  ;  for  peace,  ii.  44,  15  ;  for  peace  at 
Bolobo,  ii.  GO,  Gl 

Negro  state,  difficulty  of  forming  a,  i.  54 

Nekke  River,  ii.  131 

Nempambu,  a  chief,  i.  1G5 

Nepuko  River,  ii.  131 

Nevangi,  a  cliief,  i.  1G5 

Neve,  Mr.  Paul,  i.  22G,  239,  283 

Newspapers,  the  threat  of  writing  to  the, 
i.  71 

New  Yorh  Herald  and  Daily  Telegraph 

Expedition,  i.  8,  58 
New  York,  branch  society  at,  i.  36 
Nezan,  a  chief,  i.  1G5 
Nfuiuu,  the  title  of  Congo  chiefs,  i.  17 

 Nguma,  i.  505,  506 

Ngako,  chief  of  Kintamo,  i  304,  30G,  380, 

381,  302,  490,  507;  ii.  191 
Ngaku  River,  ii.  212 

Nga'vema,  Chief  of  Ntann,  i.  250,  300. 
303,  304-307,  308,  309,  318-320,  337, 
344,  348-350,  377,  372,  381-383,  387, 
392,  490,  492,  493,  508 ;  ii.  52,  189-191 ; 
in  anus,  i.  332-33G;  and  Eula  Matari, 

i.  357  ;  his  character,  i.  3.!i8  ;  wily  strata- 
gems of,  i.  358,  359  ;  a  braggart,  i.  3G0 ; 
threatening  attitude  of,  i.  362,  3G9 ; 
peace  with,  i.  3G7,  373 

Ngamberengi  the  chief,  i.  323,  332,  348, 

493  ;  ii.  192 
Ngana,  i.  433  ;  River,  i.  444  ;  ii.  344 
Ngandu,  a  chief,  i.  165,  171-173 
Nganza,  ii.  99 
Ngete,  i.  428 

Ngingiri  River,  another  name  for  Itimbiii. 
Ngoma,  i.  288,  234-236,  238;   ii.  192; 

mountain,  i.   179,  181-183,  229,  230; 

point,  i.  187,  223,  229;  rapids,  i.  183; 

village,  ii.  207 
Ngoma's  village,  i.  325,  332 
Ngombe,  an  erroneous  name,  i.  3  ;  a  Chief 

of  Mgangila,  i.  165;  ii.  17,  18,  21,  25, 

49,  183,  207 
Ngoinbi,  194,  320 
Ngoyo,  i,  73,  261-263 
Ngufu-Mpanda  of  Banza  Sombo,  i.  129 
Niadi,  mcaniug  a  river,  i.  2 
Nit  man,  Herr,  i.  450 
Niger,  comparison  to  the,  i.  401 
Night  air,  exposure  to,  ii.  283-285,  308 
Nile,  the,  i.  8  ;  comparison  to  the,  i.  401  ; 

ii.  8 

Nilis,  Lieutenant,  i.  382,  409 
Njali,  meaning  a  river,  i.  2 
Njugu,  nephew  of  Mata  Bwyki,  ii.  173- 
175 

Nkamampu,  a  chief,  i.  165 

Nkenge  i.  260  :  river,  i.  182,  183  ;  plain, 

the,  i,  187 
Nkeuke  :  see  Lubamba 
Nkiugi,  a  chief,  i.  165 


Nkongolo,  station  at,  113,  114 
Nkuku  district,  ii.  1JS,  19,  21 ;  river,  ii. 
346 

Nkusu,  the,  i.  153,  160  ;  bridge  over  the, 
i.  18G;  bridge  at,  ii.  223  ;  ravine,  i.  120, 
122;  ii.  301  ;  valley,  i.  L48 

Nkutu  River,  another  name  for  the  Kwa, 

1.  412 

Noble  officers,  ii.  255-279 

Nokki,  i.  17,  96,  111,  113,  114,  162,  179; 

ii.  215,  401 
Nomaza  ovc,  i.  115,  120,  121 
Nomenclature,  erroneous,  in  Congo-land,  i. 

2,  3 

Nostalgia,  i.  224  ;  ii.  241 

Nozo,  chief  at  Pababalla,  ii.  217 

Nsaka,  a  chief  of  Zinga,  i.  315 

Nsakala,  the  lingster,  i.  116,  133 

Nsakala  Mpwassa,  a  chief,  i.  165 

Ntambana  Island,  ii.  38 

Nsanila,  i.  116, 161, 163,  164, 179  ;  payment 

for  right  of  way  at,  i.  170  ;  markets,  i. 

175;    chiefs  meeting  of,  i.  164-169; 

natives,  i.  209,  210 
Nsangu  ferry,  i.  325,  478 ;  mountains,  i. 

390 ;  ii.  193 
Nseke,  mcauing  "  inland,"  i.  3 
Nseke'le'lo,  i.  166, 172.  173,  222 
Nsele'h  River,  i.395,  403 
Nselo  ferry,  ii.  193 
Nsona  Mamba  ferry,  i.  259 
Ntaba  of  Malima,  i.  299 
Ntamo,  i.  303,  307-311 
Ntolulu,  a  chief,  i.  165 
Ntombi's  dark  ravine,  i.  245  ;  cove,  i.  250 
Ntombo-a-Langa,  i.  200.  201 

  Lukuti  grove,  ii.  214 

 Lukuti,  ii.  215,  299 

 Mtaka,  i.  267,  269 

Nu-anipozo  River,  i.  120,  128 

Nutmeg,  ii.  358 

Nyadi,  meaning  a  river,  i.  2 

Nvam-Nvam  country,  ii.  351 

M-angwe,  i.  8,  20,*  40,  43,  216;  ii.  340, 

359,  3G0  ;  Arabs,  ii.  142  ;  falls,  ii.  360 
Nyassa  Lake,  i.  7 

Nyongena  Mountain,  i.  179,  187.  223,  227, 

229,  234 
Nyungu,  i.  40,  43 
Nzabi,  i.  287 

Nzaddi,  meaning  a  river,  i.  2 

Nzali,  meaning  a  river,  i.  2 

Nzambi  (God),  ii.  41 ;  rapids,  i.  255-257 

Nzari,  meaning  a  river,  i.  2 

Nzungi,  a  village  of  carriers,  ii.  207 

Objects  of  the  Berlin  Conference,  ii.  393 
Ocean  steamers,  on  the  Con^o,  i.  85,  86 
Officer,  a  homicidal,  ii.  55 
Officers  at  Vivi,  i.  159;  of  the  expedition, 

their  number,  i.  67  ;  noble,  ii.  255-279 
Ogowai  River,  i.  159,  231,  233,  234 
Oil-berry,  ii.  353 ;  palm,  ii.  3G7 


476 


INDEX. 


Oil-river  at  01 1  Calabar,  ii.  232 
Old  Calabar  River,  ii.  232 
"Old  Tom,"  ii.  319 
Olivier:.,  Dr.,  i.  450 
One  Palm  Point,  i.  43 1 
Onion,  ii.  357 

Opposition  from  Ngalyema,  332-342 
Orange,  tlie  Prince  of,  i.  35 

  trees,  ii.  240 

Orban,  Lieut.,  i.  487,  48^,  510 
Orchilla  weed,  ii.  02,  07, 342, 353, 35G,  3G7, 
374 

Organisation  of  expeditions,  i.  30-44; 

of  eastern  expeditions,  i.  45 
Orycterope,  i.  205 
( ),car  Pere,  i.  45 
Osteud,  ii.  237 

Overland  co  ivevance  of  steamers,  i.  182, 

227,  22S;  ii.  264 
Oyster  shell  heaps,  ii.  104 
Ozi  River,  i.  58 

Padiao,  Rio  de,  former  name  of  the  Congo, 

i.  1 

Fadron  Point,  i.  63 

Palaballu  Mountain,  i.  12),  102,  170,  205; 

ii.  215,  217 

Palavers,— at  Vivi,  i.  123,  120,  130,  132, 
133-137;  at  Ntanio,  i.  300;  at  Ns  mda, 

i.  104-170;  at  Kintamo,  i.  372;  at 
Mswaia,  i.  i05,  4U7 ;  at  Stanley  Falls, 

ii.  101,  102 
Palisades  in  leaf,  i.  152 
Palm  butter,  ii.  342 
 juice,  ii-  102 

 oil,  ii.  355 :  oil  shipments  at  Old 

Calabar,  ii.  232 

.  wine,  i.  105,  180,  214,  307  ;  ii.  322 

Palmas  Cape,  i.  78 

Palms,  i.  513,  518;  ii.  5,  02,  341,  352,  307 
Palmyra  Rea-h,  i.  100,  112 
Papawtices,  ii.  246 
Papyrus,  ii.  6;  pantiquorum,  ii.  354 
Partbury,  Lieut.,  i.  478 ;  ii.  200 
Paris,  a  meeting  in,  i.  23,  24 
Parle,  Mungo,  ii.  385 
ParmenteOtfojor,  ii.  224,  271,  273 
Parmqnets,  ii.  8 

Parrots,  i.  207,  410,  436  ;  ii.  6.  8 
Patience,  the  virtue  of,  i.  46,  40 
Payment  of  native  carriers,  i.  346 
Peace,  celebration  of,  ii.  63,  64;  negot'a- 

tions,  ii.  26 ;  at  Irebu,  ii.  42,  45  ;  at 

Bolob  ),  ii.  60,  01 
Pelieans,  i.  417 
Personnel  of  a  station,  i.  37 
Peschuel  Loesche,  Dr.,  i.  376,  447,  448, 

440;  ii.  387 
Pest  Jential  vapour,  ii.  300,  301 
Pettit  Hubert,  i.  208 

Philanthropic  expeditions,  character  of,  i. 

24 ;  views,  ii.  406 
Phoenix  Spinosa,  ii.  354 


Phillippeville,  i.  477 ;  ii.  277  ;  copper  mines, 
ii.  356 

Piedmont,  the  Prince  de,  i.  35 
Pigeon,  wild,  i.  207 
Pigs,  ii.  207 
Pike,  ii.  100 

Pillar  Point,  i.  12 ;  river,  i.  1 

Pillars  Potuguesc  Stone,  i.  1 ;  their  pur- 
pose, i.  10,  II 

Pilot  of  Banana,  i.  63 

Pilots,  jottings  for  Congo,  i.  403,  404,  405 
i  Pincoffs  and  Kerdyck,  Messrs.,  i.  72 
j  Pine  Apples:  see  Fruit. 

Pioneers,  foreign,  i.  195  ;  native,  i.  198 

Piqaf.  tta's  "  Kingdom  of  the  Congo,"  i.  9 

Pirate  Creek,  i,  64,  77 

Pistia  Stratiotes,  i.  411 ;  ii.  6 

Plane-trees,  ii.  30,  66 

Plantains,  ii.  357 

Plenipotentiaries  at  Berlin,  ii.  331,  302, 

303 

Plumbago,  ii.  357 
Plymouth,  landed  at,  ii.  236 
Pocock  Francis,  i.  313 ;  ii.  249 

 Basin,  ii.  210 

Pogge,  Dr.,  ii.  351,  387 
j  Point  Padron,  i.  63 

i  Ponta  da  Lenha,  i.  74,  77,  82,  83,  85,  87, 

88,  00,  104 
j  Pope  Innoeent  X.,  i.  16 

 Paul  V.,  i.  4,  16 

Popelin,  Captain,  i.  43,  44 

Population,  ii.  343;  of  Zinga,  i.  315; 
of  Bolobo,  i.  518;  of  native  villages,  ii. 
45;  tables  of,  ii.  349,  350;  of  Upper 
Congo  region,  ii.  340-351;  of  VVebb- 
Lualaba  region,  ii.  360;  of  Tangmika 
territory,  ii.  362;  of  Chambezi  region, 
ii.  362  ;  of  the  Congo  basin,  ii.  360,  367, 
375 

!  Porterage  of  goods,  price  now  paid  for,  ii. 
372 

Portuguese  Pillars,  i.  1,  14 ;  their  purpose, 
i.  10,  11 

 missionary  efforts,  i.  11,  13 

Portuguese, — expel  the  Jaggas,  i.  12  ;  ces- 
sion of  territory  to  the,  i.  12 ;  fort  ;;t 
Kabinda,  i.  14;  exercised  no  authority 
on  the  Congo  bank,  i.  14  ;  expelled  from 
Kabinda,  i.  14;  the  slave-trade  under 
the,  i.  14,  15;  mission  at  San  Salvador, 
i.  10;  traders,  i.  02;  at  Vivi,  i.  225; 
steamers,  discomforts  of,  i.  458,  450,  400  ; 
territory,  ii.  305,  380,  401,  404;  action 
of  the  government,  ii.  380 
Po^se,  Count,  ii.  277 
Potatoes,  ii.  357;  sweet,  ii.  213 
Pottery,  native  manufacture  of,  ii.  48 
Power  of  native  chiefs,  i.  17-19 ;  i.  508, 
509 

Preparations  for  war,  i.  333 
Presents,  i.  406 ;  ii.  23,  90 ;  expect  incy 
of  i.  164;  description  of»  i.  170;  to 


INDEX. 


477 


chiefs,  i.  185 ;  exchanging,  i.  288,  307 ; 
claimants  for,  i,  331 ;  a  one-sided  balance- 
sin  set  for,  i.  359 

President  for  the  State,  a,  ii.  53 

Prince's  Island,  i.  57,  110,  111,  457 

Prison  honors  at  Loanda,  i.  453 

Prisoners,  two  of  my  men,  i.  371 

 for  theft,  ii.  174,  178,  179 

Produce,  native,  i.  193 

Products,  of  mountain  region,  ii.  342  :  of 
the  Upper  Congo  regions,  ii.  352-358 ; 
of  Africa,  table  of  value  in  Liverpool,  ii. 
368,  3G9 

Progress,  rate  of,  i.  215,  241,  2G9,  270 
Proieetorate  of  districts,  ii.  166  ;  of  Boma, 
ii.  225 

Provisions  for  an  Expedition,  i.  48,  49 
Pumpkins,  ii.  243 
Punishment,  n  terrible,  i.  97,  98 
Purehas,  the  English  compiler,  i.  4 
Pur  tuns  and  the  Mayflower,  ii.  379 
Pythons,  i.  204 

Quarrel  with  Ngalyema,  i.  332-342 
Quarrels   with  natives  at  Leopold ville, 

i.  485 ;  with  natives,  difficulties  of,  i. 
523,  524.  526 

Quatie'ages,  M.  de,  i.  3G 
Questions  put  at  the  Brassels  meeting,  i. 
26 

Quettah,  ii.  236 

(Juin  a  as  a  tonic,  ii.  325 

Quinine  in  cases  of  fever,  i.  272-274 

Railwav  at  Vivi,  ii.  227  ;  between  Viva 
and  Isangila,  proposed,  i.  186,  187 ;  ne- 
ci  ssity  for  a,  i.  463,  464  ;  for  the  Congo, 

ii.  367.  368  ;  probable  cost  of  cons! ruc- 
tion, ii.  370,  371  ;  probable  traffic  on  a, 
ii.  370.  371  :  proposals,  i.  25 

Pain,  effect  of  heavy,  i.  94 
Rainfall  observations,  ii.  333-338 
Rainstorms,  ii.  210 

Rainv  seasons,  the,  i.  258  ;  health  during, 
ii.  299 

Rank,  quarrels  about,  i  71,  72 
Ransoui  offered  for  release  of  a  thief,  ii. 
174 

Ransoms,  i,  260 

Raphia  vinifera,  ii.  352,  35 1 

Rapids,  Ruka,  ii.  129,  130 

Rapine,  traces  of,  ii.  139 

Rate  of  progress,  i.  215,  241,  269,  270, 
480  ;  ii.  9,  75 

Rations,  a  day's,  i.  48 

 purchase  of,  i.  481 

Reasons  against  bloodshed,  i.  523,  524 

Recuperation  in  a  temperate  climate  neces- 
sary, ii.  329 

Redwood,  ii.  5,  "0,  G7,  374 

 powder,  ii.  2,  353,  354,  356,  3G7 

Reg's  &  Co.,  i.  72,  78 

Remington  rifles,  i.  47 


Report  to  King  Leopold,  ii.  237 

Repulse  at  Mali  ma,  i.  299,  300 

Resignations,  ii.  247 

Resolutions  passed  at  Brussels,  i.  27 

Restrictions  on  trade,  dangers  of,  i.  464 

Retiibution,  thoughts  on,  ii.  1  13 

Revenue  of  proposed  railway,  ii.  371 

Rhine,  comparison  to,  ii.  8 

Rice,  growth  o ',  ii .  357 

Rirhthofen  Baron  von,  i.  34 

R  fles,  class  of  rifles  carried,  i.  47 

Riuht  of  way,  payment  for,  i.  170 

Rio  de  Congo,  the  name  on  old  ninps,  i.  2 

Rio  Poderoso,  an  old  name  of  the  Congo, 

i.  1 

Rise  and  fall  of  the  Congo,  i.  87 
River  bank  defended  by  sharp  pins,  ii. 
135 

River  courses,  old,  i.  175 

Rivers  (see  also  under  special  names),  the 

Aruwimi,  ii.  115;  Balui,  ii.  79,  345; 

Biverre',  i.  514;  ii.  129-132,  170,  349; 

Black  River,  ii.  359;  Bundi,  i.  403; 

Buuga,  ii.  66  ;  Chambezi,  ii.  358  ;  Chofu, 

ii.  153;  Edwin  Arnold,  i.  403  ;  Gordon 
Bennett,  i.  403 ;  ii.  53;  Gurba,  ii.  131; 
Ikelemba,  ii.  31,  32,  77,  78,  344;  lkuba, 
ii.  65;  lnkissi,  i.  403,  478;  ii.  193; 
Langa,  ii.  345;  Itimbiri,  ii.  109,  110, 
112,  131,  345,  352  ;  Kwa.  ii.  344  ;  Kwilu- 
Kiadi,  i.  403;  ii.  214,  225:  Lacustrine 
Kamolondo,  ii.  360;  Lawson-Lufini,  i. 
509,  512;  ii.  345;  Leopold,  ii.  359; 
Lhari,  ii.  131;  Likuba,  ii.  185,  345; 
Lira,  ii.  358,  359 ;  Loa,  i.  403;  Lokulu, 
ii.  361 ;  Low-wa,  ii.  358,  359  ;  Lualla,  i. 
403 ;  Luarna,  ii.  359  ;  Lubamba,  i.  403  ; 
ii.  225;  Lnbanscnzi,  ii.  361;  Lubilash, 
ii.  109,  348,  :  51 ;  Lubiranzi,  ii.  169, 
344,  345,  348  ;  Lmmme,  i.  488  ;  Lufu,  i. 
403  ;  ii.  215,  359  ;  Luigi.  ii.  359;  Luindi, 
ii.  359  ;  Lu'zi,  i.  403  ;  ii.  217  ;  Lukanga, 
ii.  21,  27,  28,  45,  46,  344;  Lulu,  i.  403; 
ii.  193;  Lulungu,  ii.  76-78,  344,  352; 
Lumami,  ii.  169,  'MS,  359;  Lunionzo,  i. 
408";  ii.  214;  Mbikn,  i.  403;  Mbihe, 
ii.  344?  Mfini,  ii.  27;  Mikene,  i.  519; 
ii.  05  ;  Mikene'-Alima,  ii.  345  ;  Mohindu, 
ii.  344  ;  Mpioga,  ii.  211  ;  Mpozo,  i.  403  ; 
Mpalanga,  i.  h03;  Mulwassi,  ii.  207; 
Nekke,  ii.  131 ;  Nepoko,  ii.  131 ;  Ngaku, 
ii.  212  ;  Ngai.R,  i.  444;  ii.  344;  Nkuku, 
ii.  346;  Js'seleh,  i.  395,  403;  Ubangi,  ii. 
345;  Ubika,  ii.  171  ;  Ulindi,  ii.  358,359; 
"Wampoko,  ii.  51 ;  Welle',  ii.  126,  sijq. 
Welle-Makua,  ii.  110 

Road,  "killing'  the,  3.  314 

 in  danger  through  lain,  ii.  210 

Road-making,  i.  141,  142,  145.  154,  155, 
181,  187,  190,  191,  196-198,  201,  204- 
207,  224,  235-237,  239,  279,  312,  325, 
370,  463;  ii.  223;  negotiating  for,  i. 
167-169 


478 


INDEX. 


Roads,  injured  bv  rains,  i.  480;  native,  i. 

104,  189;  ne  glected,  ii.  221 
Robson  Islands,  i.  82 
Rock  formations,  i.  246,  247 
Kooky  Point,  i.  115,  513-515 
Rohlf,  the  explorer,  ii.  385 
Roman  Catholic  Mission,  ii  50 
Rome,  missions  from,  i.  1G 
Roth,  Dr.,  i.  34 

"  Rothschild,"  the,  of  Bolobo,  ii.  3 

Rowe,  Sir  Samuel,  i.  57,  59 

Royal,  steam  launch,  i.  G8,  83,  104,  110, 
154,  190,  19G,  477,  478,  481,  501 ;  ii.  57, 
59,  116;  at  Ostend,  i.  244;  under  repair, 
i.  261  :  wreck  of  the,  ii.  170,  171 

Royal  Geographical  Society,  i.  33 

Ruanda  cattle,  ii.  361 

Rubber,  India,  i.  384 

Rubunga,  Chief  of  Nganza,  ii.  09 

Rudolf,  the  Archduke,  i.  35 

Rudolf&tadt  station,  i.  474-476 

Rufiiji,  the,  i.  44  ;  river,  i.  58 

Ruga-Ruga,  visits,  i.  40 

Ruka  R  .pids,  ii.  129,  130 

Rules  for  organising  an  expedition,  i.  47 

Rum,  used  as  currency,  i.  193  ;  used  in 
trading,  i.  158 

Rupture  with  the  natives,  dangers  of,  i. 
314 

Ruse,  a,  in  camp,  i.  334 
Russia,  cause  of  its  non-representation,  i. 
35 

Sa'adala,  i.  251 

Sabuka,  i.  477,  480,  481,  488,  489 
Sacred  water,  sprinkling  of,  ii.  106 
Sacrifice  of  life  ;  a  horrihle  custom,  ii.  180- 
182 

Sadika  Banza,  i.  1G4,  179,  205 
Sadika  Banzi,  plateau,  ii.  216 
Safeni,  i.  260 

Saggitair'e,  the,  a  French  frigate,  i.  86, 

(note),  475 
Sailing  vtssels  ascending  the  Congo,  i. 

113 

St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  14;  document  in 
the  archives  of,  i.  12  ;  description  of, 
i.  450-455 

St.  Thomas'  Island,  i.  57,  456 

Salt  extracted  from  grass,  i.  421 

Salutations  on  the  march,  ii.  192,  193 

Saluting  the  dead,  i.  75 

Saniuna,  a  chief  of  Nsanda,  i.  18,  164 

Sanatorium  at  Boma,  ii.  228  ;  Leopold ville, 

i.  391 ;  on  Leopold.  Hill,  ii.  191 
Sand-flies,  i.  214 

Sand -pipers,  i.  436 
Sanda  Congo,  i.  112 

Sanford,  General,  H.  S.,  of  Florida,  i.  36  ; 

ii.  381,  382 

San  Januario,  the  Duke  de,  i.  35 
San  Salvador,  capital  of  Conjro,  i.  11;  de- 
struction of,  i.  12;  rebuilding  of,  i.  12; 


bishopric  transferred  to  St.  Paul  de 
Loanda,  i.  13;  in  ruins,  i.  13;  attempt 
to  re-open  missions,  i.  13 ;  Baptist 
Mission  at,  i.  13;  mission  at,  i.  16;  ii. 
342 

Sarawak,  ii.  879 

Sardines,  potted,  ii.  322 

Saulez,  Capt.  Seymour,  ii.  101,  272 

Scenery  of  the  Congo,  i.  92,  93,  1)4.  Ill,  112, 
124,  125,  126,  171,  172,  173,  175,  176, 
179,  180,  181,  182,  183,  184,  243,  241, 
245,  246,  247, 250,  255, 256, 258,  262,  2h'4, 
324,  325,  390,  391,  396,  397,  399,  400, 
401,  5C4,  505,  511,  512,  513;  ii.  4-9,  11, 
17,  77,  79,  91,  92,  93,  152;  on  the 
Ikelenibn,  ii.  34-86 

Sceptical  people,  ii.  377 

Sceptre  of  Ngalyema, 

School,  native  children  of,  ii.  208 

Schnoor  the  carpenter,  ii.  191 

Schweinfuith,  Dr.,  ii.  130,  351,  385 

Scientific  mission  of  a  station,  i.  37 
j  Scotch  scenery,  comparison  to,  i.  400, 
401 

1  Scotch mnn  Head,  i.  81 
|  Seaside  resorts,  i.  23 

Season  for  gardening,  i.  381 
f  Sea  near  the  land,  appearance  of  the,  i. 
61 

Secrecv,  reasons  for,  i.  56 
Seltzer,  ii.  282 

Semicarbus  anacardium,  ii.  358 
Sette  Gamma,  ii.  229 
Settlement,  an  immense,  ii.  81,  82 
Shale,  ii.  214 
Shamba  Gonera,  i.  45,  48 
1  Shari  River,  ii.  131 
Shark's  Point,  i.  62,  63 
Shaw,  Mr.  E.  Massey,  ii.  224,  271,  273 
Sheds  for  workmen,  a  necessity,  ii.  315 
Sheep,  ii.  243 

Shipping  at  Banana  Point,  i.  64 

Si  dps  for  the  Congo,  ii.  367 

Shooting  a  hippopotamus,  i.  106 

Sick  list,  i.  216;  of  stations,  ii.  306;  men, 
ii.  248  ;  shamming  at  Yivi,  ii.  222 

Sickness,  i.  212  ;  causes  considered,  ii. 
286,  sqrj. ;  prevention  of,  ii.  311 
1  Siemens,  Dr.  W.,  i.  34 
|  Sierra  Leone,  i.  57,  59  ;  ii.  236,  297,  320 
1  Signals  of  natives,  ii.  158 

Silurns,  bearded,  ii.  160 

Silver,  ii.  375 

Sinn,  ot  measure  for  cloth,  ii.  22 
Shiga  fish  of  Tanganika,  ii.  160 
Sims,  Dr.,  i.  496 

Sittings  of  the  Berlin  Conference,  ii.  391- 
403 

Siwa-Siwa,  chief  of  Bakumu,  ii.  162,  164 
Skins  of  animals,  ii.  354 
Skipper,  importance  of  an  efficient,  i.  70 
Slave  raiding,  effects  of,  ii.  360 
Slave-trade,  i.  14,  15 ;  suppression  of  the, 


INDEX. 


479 


15;  trade,  the,  i.  96,97,  152  ;  atLoanda, 

i.  451 :  effect  on  population,  ii.  313 
Slave-traders  on  the  Congo,  i.  113:  from 

the  Soudan,  ii.  122  ;  news  of,  ii.  135  ;  on 
the  Coniro,  ii.  139,  110;   terrible  scenes, 

ii.  11G-150;  traders  overtaken,  ii.  112; 
raids  of,  ii.  141, 115 ;  numbers  in  a  gan<r, 
ii.  145;  plunder  taken  by,  ii.  147;  cap- 
tives of,  ii.  148,  119;  extent  of  couutry 
ravaged  bv,  ii.  119 ;  instigators  of,  ii. 
150,  151 

Slavers  at  work,  ii.  121,  121 

Slaves  sacrificed,  180-182 

Slaverv,  at  Boma,  i.  96  ;  an  escape  from, 

i.  260 
Smallpox,  ii.  15 
Snails,  ii.  2 
Snider  rifles,  i.  17 
Soil,  richness  of  the,  i.  393 
•'Sojeriug,"  ii.  251 
Sonho,  rebellion  in,  i.  12  :  82,  83 
Soudanese  slave-traders,  ii.  122  227 
Soudi  of  Turu,  i.  251,  252,  253  ' 
Soundings  at  Yivi,  i.  128,  129 ;  on  the 

C  ngo,  i.  402 
Soups  ii.  322 

Sovereignty  ceded  to  the  Association,  ii. 
225 

Snake  skin  girdles,  ii.  Ill 
snakes,  i.  201 

Spaces,  health  of  open,  ii.  302 
Sparhawk,  Mr.  Augustus,  i.  115,  154,  159, 
196 

Spear-grass,  i.  423 
Speke,  ii.  385 
Sphynx  Rock,  ii.  211 
Spitting-snakes,  i.  204 
Squabbles  to  be  avoided,  i.  16 
Stables,  i.  153 

Stan,  complaints  from  the,  i.  70,  71 

•         at  Yivi,  i.  159;  re-organisation  i.t 

Vivi,  ii.  223 
Stanley  and  Bnla  Matari,  difference  be- 
tween, ii.  28 
Stanley  Falls,  i.  70,  148 ;  ii.  56,  75,  154- 
156,  H10.  313,  358  ;  character  of  trade 
at,  ii.  160;  palaver  at,  ii.  161,  162; 
choosing  a  site,  ii.  162 ;  Hearing  the 
site,  ii.  165:  Falls  Station,  improve- 
ment at,  ii.  275 

■         Pool,  i.  31,  86,  96,  159,  191,  216, 

225,  231,  268,  270,  387,  388,  389,  4 15. 
477,  478,  481,  488.  507,  514;  ii.  2,  3, 
5,  22,  49,  61,  214,  289,  302,  312,  313,  315  ; 
distant  view  of,  i.  290  ;  description  of, 
.  i.  396 ;  Pool  markets,  i.  421 ;  mission- 
aries at,  i.  196;   division  of,  i.  263; 
monthly  supply  to,  ii.  272 
Starvation,  approaching,  i.  302 
Stations,  instructions  r  crarding,  i.  27 

  on  Lake  Tangnnika,  i.  35  ;  on  the 

east  of  Africa,  i.  30  ;  hospitable  missions 
oij  i.  37  ;  scientific  misoions  of,  i.  37 


influence  of  in  suppressing  the  slave- 
trade,  i.  37;  common  wealth,  i.  51; 
establishing,  i.  190 ;  defensive  measures 
at  a,  i.  376;  measures  lor  supp' rting, 

i.  165  ;  neglect  by  leaders,  i.  169;  de- 
struction of  two,  ii.  56;  a  well-governed, 

ii.  72  ;  founding,  ii.  75  ;  the  last  formed, 
ii.  166;  a  pretty,  ii.  212,  213;  equip- 
ment for,  ii.  213  ;  in  neglect  and  pr<>s- 
peritv,  ii.  215  ;  success  of  Stanley  Falls, 
ii.  275;  unhealthy,  ii.  287,  288,  290- 
292,  299-301 ;  sick  list  of,  ii.  306 ;  sites 
of,  ii.  319,  320 

Steam  communication,  instructions  re- 
garding, i.  27 

Steamers,  trading,  i.  91,  92;  the  harbingers 
of  trade,  i.  251 ;  transported  overland, 
i.  182,  227,  228,  ii.  264;  first  on  the 


Upper  Con< 


375;  on  the  Com 


effect  of  large,  ii.  7,  8,  9 ;  surprise  the 
natives,  ii.  12, 16,  29, 105  ;  for  the  Congo, 
ii.  367 

 Cove,  i.  379 

Steel  lighters,  i.  68 
Stephanieville,  i.  476,  477 
Sterile  scenes,  i.  261,  265 
Still  Haven,  Stanley  Kalis,  ii.  163 
Stimulants,  craving  for,  ii.  211 ;  absence 
of,  ii.  212  ;  abuse  of,  ii.  251,  252,  253, 
254 

Stink-wood,  ii.  5 
Stipa  tenaccisnma.  ii.  354 
Stocking  Island,  i.  82,  89 
j  Stores,  i.  153;  conveyance  of,  i.  155,  182, 
210,  211,  214;  list  of,  i.  285;  of  the 
Fx{  edition,  i.  68  ;  for  the  Upper  Congo 
Expedition,  list  of,  501,  502;  for  an  ex- 
pedition, ii.  76;  h  ft  at  Stanley  Falls, 
ii.  165;  sent  monthly  to  Stanley  Fool, 
ii.  272 

Storms,  i.  201,  227,  337,  418,  437,  438  ;  ii. 

95,  96.  98,  137 
Story  of  Xgalyema's  life,  i.  318,  319 
Story,  a  hypocritical,  ii.  11 
Strauch.  Colon,  1,  i.  28,  39,  42,  43,  16,  52, 

59,  189  ;  ii.  378,  394 
Strength  of  the  expedition,  i.  378 
Slrj/rlmas,  ii.  358 
Subsidies  to  chiefs,  i.  54 
Suirar,  i.  414 ;  ii.  357,  375 
Suicide  of  M.  Luksic,  489 
Suki,  i.  315 

Sun,  avoiding  exposure  to  the,  ii.  323 ;  ob- 
servations of  the.  i.  205 
Sun-bird,  ii.  6 
Sun-fever,  ii.  322 
Sunday,  a  dny  of  rest,  i.  230 
Sundi,  i.  176 

Sun  go  Maji  of  Bumba,  ii.  107 
Sunshine,  African,  i.  94,  95 
Sunstroke,  ii.  322;  precautions  against,  ii. 
315 

44  Superstitions"  of  natives,  28,  29,  62 


480 


INDEX. 


*  Susceptibilities'"  on  the  Congo,  i.  72  ;  ii.  | 
240,  276 

Susi,  Livingstone's  head  man,  i.  310,  318. 

335,  345/379 
Suspicion  and  distrust  among  natives,  j 

d  inger  of,  i.  169,  170 
Suzerainty  of  chiefs,  i.  18 
Swinburne,  Mr.  A.  B,  i.  57,  58,  145,  159, 

196,  208.  213,  218,  219.  221,  239,  240,  \ 

496  ;  ii.  289  ;  his  services,  ii.  257,  558 
Switzerland,  a  holiday  in,  i.  23 
Sword,  Makoko's,  i.  332 
Swordsmiths,  ii.  35G 

Tabora,  i.  40,  42 

Tactics  against  Ngalyema,  i.  334 
Tamarinds,  ii.  5 
"  Tandelsy,"  ii.  89 

Tanganika,  Lake,  i.  7,  20,  35,  37,  40,  41, 
43,  44. 40  ;  ii.  359.  363 

 territory,  extent  of,  ii.  362 

Tariffs,  danger  of  excessive,  i.  464 

Tea  as  a  beverage,  ii.  322 

Teak,  African,  i.  192 ;  ii.  30,  67 

Temperance,  ii.  325,  329 

Temperature,  ii.  282, 314,  316-318,  330,  331  1 

Tendelay,  i.  206 

Teneriffe  donkeys,  i.  225 

Tents,  making  new,  i.  279 

Territories  of  the  Congo  basin,  ii.  365 

Territory  ceded  to  the  Portuguese,  i.  12 

The  au  lait.  ii.  324 

Thefts  at  Iboko,  and  return  of  stolen 

goods,  ii.  180 
Thermometer  readings,  i.  203.  213 
Thieving  natives,  ii.  84 ;  at  Iboko,  ii.  173, 

174 

Thompson,  Captain,  i.  57,  105-107 

Thys,  Captain,  ii.  378 

Titles  on  the  Congo,  i.  87 

Tiger  skin,  trick  with  a,  ii.  107 

Time  bill,  fiom  the  sea  to  Vivi,  i.  116; 

occupied  in  journeys,  i.  191 
Times,  The,  i.  58 
Tinned  meats,  i.  284;  ii.  322 
Tippling,  ii.  319 

Tippu  Tib,  an  Arab  trader,  ii.  154,  351 
Tisdel,  Mr.  W.  H..  ii.  396 

Tobacco,  ii.  364,  375 
Tomatoes,  ii.  213 
Tonics,  ii.  325 

Tools  and  stores  carried  by  our  expedition,  i 
i.  503 

"  Topers,"  ii.  251,  252 

Topography,  i.  172,  173.  175.176,  179-184, 
192,  258,  287,  290,  352-355,  395  397, 
412,413,513,514;  ii.  4,  17.  18.  46,47, 
78,  341,  sqq. ;  of  Vivi,  i.  126,  136,  140 

Torch,  H.M.S.,  i.  86  (note) 

Tortoise  shell,  ii.  354 

Totela,  king  of  Congo,  i.  17 

"  Tourist  "  engineer--,  i.  209 

Trachylobum,  ii.  353 


Tracks,  herd,  i.  201 
 native,  i.  192 

Tra  le  and  barter,  articles  for  African,  i. 
156,  157 

Trade,  factory,  i.  74,  75;  at  Vivi,  i.  156; 
competition,  i.  800  ;  Congoese,  shrewd- 
ness in,  i.  137  ;  demanded  at  Nganza, 
ii.  99  ;  the  coming  of  the  whites  means, 

i.  168;  in  gunpowder,  i.  75  ;  native  eager- 
ness for,  i.  384  ;  ii.  367 ;  of  West  Africa, 
amount  of,  ii.  366;  probabilities  of  in- 
cnased,  ii.  367;  rousing  the  spirit  of, 

ii.  376;  routes,  ii.  342  ;  table  of  possible, 
at  new  factories,  ii.  310  ;  talk.  i.  214; 
with  natives,  conduct  of,  i.  99,  100; 
feastbilitv  of,  i.  463 ;  visions  of  future, 
i.  127 

Traders,  ivory,  character  of,  i.  387 

 ,  jealousy  of,  309  ;  misrepresented  by 

missionarn  s,  i.  100 ;  of  the  Upper  Congo, 
the  champion,  ii.  21-23  ;  on  the  Kwa, 
i.  415 

Trading  at  Boleko,  ii.  83;  at  Leopold- 

ville,  i.  380.  383,  384 
 canoes,  ii.  79 

 communities  of  Arabs,  ii.  360,  363 

 companies,  i.  29 

 in  ivory,  i.  383,  384 

 stations  at  Boma,  i.  91 

 steamers,  i.  91.  92 

Traditional  origin  of  Byyanzi,  ii.  1 
Traffic  at  Xsanga  Ferry,  i.  479 
Transport  of  steamers  overland,  ii.  264 ; 

enlistment  of  natives  for,  ii.  225 
Travelling,  dangers  of,  ii.  317;  rate  of, 

i.  215,  241,  269,  270 
Treasury  at  Leopold  ville,  low  state  of  the, 

i.  483 

Treaties  with  native  chiefs,  i.  473-477, 
495  ;  ii.  48,  379,  380 ;  forms  of,  ii.  195- 
197,  205,  206 

Treaty  with  Vivi  chiefs,  i.  137,  138,  155, 
156 

Trees,  ancient,  i.  316;  or  groves  a  sign  of 
villages,  i.  62  ;  planting  as  a  protection, 

ii.  311 

Tributaries  of  the  Congo,  length  of,  ii.  344- 

352  ;  their  length,  ii  347 
Tribute,  i.  49 
Tropical  heat,  ii.  282 

 islands,  character  of,  i.  457 

 scenes,  ii.  91-93 

Tropics,  bodily  changes  in  the.  i.  65  :  the 
best  food  for,  ii.  294  ;  conditions  of  life 
in  the,  i.  85 ;  drugs  for  the.  ii.  325.  327  ; 
food  in  the,  ii.  321-324,329;  he  . lth  in 
the.  Dr.  MarlinJs  advice,  ii.  329:  mode 
of  life  in  the,  i.  65,  67 ;  clothes  for  the, 
ii.  326 

Troup,  Mr.  John  Rose,  ii.  224,  272,  274 
Trouville,  i.  23 
Trucks  for  machinery,  i.  198 
Tsetse,  i.  419 


INDEX. 


481 


Tuckcy's.  Captain,  account  of  the  slave- 
trade,  i.  14;  173;  expedition  of,  i.  5,  G, 
102,  120,  121 ;  ii.  317 ;  its  losses,  i.  6,  7 ; 
its  results,  i.  7 

«  Tuckey's  furthest,"  i.  184 

Tugurambusa  Hills,  ii.  151,  152 

Tunduwa  Point,  i.  114, 120 

Turtle  doves,  i.  419 

Twiss.  Sir  Travers,  on  treaties,  ii.  380 

Two  Palm  Poiut,  i.  51G 

Typhoid  fever,  i.  212 

Typlops,  i.  205 

Uango-Ango,  ii.  400 

Ubaugi,  River,  ii.  345 ;  a  populous  place, 
ii.  1,  13,  21,  23,  354;  swordsmiths,  ii. 
356 

Ubengo,  district  ii.  17G 
Ubika  warriors,  ii.  98 
— —  Piver.  ii.  171 
Ufipa,  ii.  3G3 
Ufuvu  Eiver,  i.  318,  321 
Ugangi,  ii.  47 
Ugogo,  i.  45,  49 
Uguhka,  i.  43 
Uuunda,  i.  4G 
Uhha,  ii.  3G2,  3G4 

Ujiji,  i.  40-42,  21G;  cattle,  ii.  3G1 ;  3G3, 
"361 

Ukatakura,  ii.  97 
Ukawenda,  ii.  364 
Ukele,  ii.  171 
Ukamira  distiict,  ii.  176 
Uledi,  i.  251 

Ulindi  Piver,  ii.  358,  359 

Ulungu  Mountains,  i.  175,  179,  180,  205 

Umaneh  Town,  ii.  124,  125 

Umangi,  ii.  98,  171 

Umari,  ii.  39,  42 ;  a  guide,  ii.  44 

Ungende,  ii.  11 

Unhealthy  stations,  ii.  287,  288,  290,  291,  I 
299-301 

United  States,  co-operation  of  the,  i.  36;  j 

ii.  380  ;  action  of  the,  ii.  381,  382 
Unkuri,  i.  432 

Unyamwezi,  i.  39,  40  ;  ii.  363 
Unvanvembe,  expedition  to,  i.  39,  40,  41,  i 

40,  48 
Upiti,  a  chief,  ii.  58,  61 
Upoto,  ii.  22,  69 

 Hills,  ii.  99,  103,  171 

Upper  Congo  discovered  by  Stanley,  i.  37 ;  j 

356;   communication  with  the  sea,  i. 

463,  464 

Urambo,  Mirando,  King  of,  i.  39,  43 
Uranga,  ii.  76-78  ;  effusive  welcome  at,  ii.  j 
176 

Urundi  cattle,  ii.  361,  362,  364 
Urungu,  ii.  364 

Ururu,  a  chief,  i.  518,  519  ;  ii.  57 
Usansi,  i.  326-331 ;  Mountain,  i.  390 
Usige,  ii.  362;  cnttle,  ii.  311 
Usimbi  District,  ii.  176 


JJsindi,  ii.  19,  21,  23,  49,  68,  69,  182 

Uvana,  Panza,  i.  208 

Uvira  iron-works,  ii.  364 

Uyanzi,  i.  511,  512,  513  ;  markets,  i.  421 

Valeke,  Lieut.,  i.  237-210,  283,  286,  311, 

382,  449,477,480,481,  488,  489,  509  ;  ii. 

51,  53,  223  ;  his  services,  ii.  2G1-264 
Valley  stations,  unhealthy,  ii.  299-301 
Value  of  ivory,  i.  380,  384 
  of  probable  trade  at  new  factories, 

ii.  370,  371 
Van  Pogaarte,  Major,  i.  239 
Van  de  Velde,  Lieut.,  i.  473-176 ;  ii.  225 
Van  den  Heuvel,  Dr.,  ii.  53,  191 
Vangele,  Lieut.,  ii.  38,  71,  177,  181,  264, 

267,  289 
Van  Schuman  Herr,  i.  471 
Vapour,  pestilential,  ii.  3U0,  301 
Vegetables,  i.  103,  148,  381,  393;  ii.  71, 
^  243,  246,  258,  357 
Vegetation,  effects  of  fire  upon,  i.  94 
Venetian  beads,  i.  30 
Versteeg,  M.,  i.  35 

Vetch,  Major  Francis,  ii.  272,  273,  355 

Veterans  on  the  coast,  i.  73 

Vibondo,  ii.  360 

Victoria  Nyanza,  i.  20 

Villages,  native,  i.  315;  on  the  Upper 
Congo,  ii.  11, 12, 15 ;  warm  invitation  to, 
ii.  30;  on  the  lkelemba,  ii.  36;  on  the 
Congo,  ii.  45;  deserted,  ii.  138;  devas- 
tated by  Arabs,  ii.  139-141, 148  ;  in  easily 
defended  positions,  ii.  172  ;  healthy  site's 
of  native,  ii.  302,  303 

Yille  (TAnvers  steamer,  ii.  225 

"  Vinda  by  the  river,"  i.  112 

Vinda  le-Nzaddi,  i.  112 

Visions  of  future  track,  i.  127 

Vivi,  i.  70,  113,  114-116,  127,  128,  144- 
147. 149, 152, 153, 159-162, 1G7,  181,  189, 
197, 207, 208,  210-215,  220,  225,  234,  422, 
513  ;  ii.  56,  215,  218,  219,  289,  291,  298, 
304;  founding  the  station,  i.  118-126, 
197;  topograpliv,  i.  126,  136,  140; 
chiefs,  i.  123,  129,  130,  142  ;  aborigine.-, 
i.  130  ;  extent  of  territory  of,  i.  135,  136  ; 
its  recommendations,  i.  136,  138;  trebly 
with  chiefs,  i.  155,  156;  trade,  i.  15G; 
staff  at,  i.  159;  and  Isangila,  proposed 
railway  hetween,  i.  186, 187;  to  Ndambi 
Bfbongo,  i.  192 ;  Isangila  to,  i.  239  ; 
messengers  sent  to,  i.  251 ;  recruits  at, 
i.  278  ;  resignation  of  a  chief,  i.  376  ; 
no  progress  at,  i.  447;  departure  from, 

i.  449:  return  to,  i.  468;  neglect  of,  i. 
469,  470  ;  quarrels  at,  i.  489 ;  troubles 
at,  ii.  52  ;  more  irregularities  at,  ii.  187, 
nothing  accomplished,  ii.  221,  224  ; 
shamming  sick  at,  ii.  222  ;  leorganisation 
of  staff,  ii.  223;  removal  of  the  station, 

ii.  223;  progress  of  the  new  station,  ii. 
227;  railway  at,  ii.  227;  situation  of 


Vol.  II.— 31 


482 


INDEX. 


old,  ii.  2S7;  distance  from  the  sea,  ii. 
339 

Viva  Hill,  i.  139,  141,145,  146,  150,  161, 
102 

 flfavungu,  i.  123,  129,  132,  138,  155, 

163 

 Rapids,  i.  128  ;  ii.  218 

 Nku,  a  chief,  i.  130 

Volga,  comparison  to,  ii.  9 
Vombo,  ii.  211 
Von  Mechow,  ii.  387 
Voonda,  i.  2o0  ;  ii.  209,  211,  225 

Wabangi,  ii.  43 

Wabika  tribe,  ii.  172 

Wabuma  people,  i.  419 

Wadi  Rehani,  i.  238,  345,  379 

Wages,  native  surprise  at,  i.  143, 144 

Wasrogo,  i.  49 

Wagtails,  i.  4-%;  ii.  6 

Wahliu  tribe,  ii.  303 

Wajiji  sailors,  i.  4S ;  tiibe,  ii.  3G3 

Wambundu,  an  inland,  people,  i.  305,  319, 

320,  323,  495 
Wami  River,  i.  44,  58 
Wampoko  River,  ii.  51 
Wane  Kirundu,  ii.  360 

 Mikungu,  ii.  156 

 Rukura  fishermen,  ii.  154 

 Rusari,  ii.  157 

 Sironga,  ii.  157 

Wangata,  ii.  37,  38,  39,  42 
Wangwana,  i.  45-48 
Wanunu,  ii.  4 

Wanya^-Ruanda  tribe,  ii.  363 
Wanyaniwezi  ptople,  i.  46-48;  ii.  363 
War,  daily  expected,  i.  361-366  ;  preven- 
tion of,  i.  380 ;  natives  preparing  for, 

i.  524;  ii.  113,114;  objections  to,  i. 
526,  527 ;  native,  ii.  23-25  ;  at  Irebu,  ii. 
42-45  ;  burying  a,  ii.  45  ;  with  Bolobo, 

ii.  57-61  ;  indemnity,  ii.  61 ;  among 
natives,  slight  causes  for,  ii.  62;  effects 
on  population,  ii.  343  ;  dance  of  natives, 
ii.  35  ;  internecine,  desolating  effect  of, 

i.  173 

War-fetish,  a  curious,  i.  310 
Warlike  threats  of  Ngalyema,  i.  332-334 
Ware,  another  name  lor  Welle'  River, 
Waruudi  tribe,  ii.  363 
Watei course,  search  for  a,  i.  178 
Water-drinking,  excessive,  ii.  315-317 
Watson,  Sir  Ihoma.-,  on  tiee-planting,  ii. 
311 

Watumba  of  Musangaland,  ii.  109 
Watwa,  dwarfs,  the,  ii.  47;  ivoiy  sold  by, 

ii.  48 
Wax,  ii.  364 
Wazige  tribe,  ii.  363 

Wealth  of  ivory  trading  chiefs,  i.  310-311 
Weaver-birds,  i.  436 

Webb-Lualaba  region,  extent  of,  ii.  340, 
358 


Webb-Lualaba  River,  navigation  of  the, 
ii.  359 

Weissman,  Lieut.,  ii.  351,  387 

Welcome  at  Ikengo,  ii.  30 

Welle'  River,  ii.  126,  sqq. ;  identical  with 
the  Biverre,  ii.  130 

Welle-Makua  River,  ii.  110 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  on  Indian  life,  ii.  295 

Wenya  fishermen,  ii.  154 

Werre,  another  name  fur  Welle  River. 

West  African  Livingstone  Search  Expedi- 
tion, i.  13 

Wet  clothes,  danger  of,  ii.  326 :  exposure 

to,  ii.  285  ;  flannels,  ii.  283,  285,  369 
Wheat,  ii.  375 
Whip-snakes,  i.  204 
Whirlpools,  i.  106 
Whisky,  ii.  251,  252,  319 
"  White  Man's  Grave,"  ii.  320 
Willing  bauds  a  necessity,  ii.  240 
Wind  observations,  ii.  310,  331-333 
Winds,  cold,  i.  210,  211,  264;  ii.  172, 
298 

Wine,  ii.  242 ;  moderate  use  of,  ii.  254, 

282,  295 
Wing-clappers,  i.  207 
Winton,  Sir  Francis  do,  ii.  227 
Witchcraft,  punishment  of,  i.  380 
Woerman,  Herr,  ii.  394 
Woman,  a  notable,  425,  426 
Women,  nude,  ii.  100 

 of  Africa,  the,  i.  425 

Wood  Point,  i.  8:5,  85 
 cutting,  ii.  9 

Work,  a  year's,  i.  240;  neglectrd  at  Vivi, 
ii.  221,  222 ;  shirking,  ii.  240,  242 ;  on 
the  Congo,  ii.  252 ;  honour  of,  ii.  278, 
279  ;  hours  for  outdoor,  ii.  314 

Workers,  unintelligent,  ii.  249,  250 

Working  day,  duration  of  our,  i.  149 

 force,  weakness  of,  i.  191 ;  numbers 

of  our,  i.  196 

Workmanship,  native,  ii.  123 

Workmen,  agreement  about  native,  i.  1G9  ; 
shelter  for  outdoor,  ii.  315 

Wreck  of  a  canoe,  ii.  49 

Wy-yauzi  people,  i.  428,  443 ;  ii.  14,  23, 
30,  60,  63,  64,  302  ;  custom  of  succession, 

i.  520 

Yakkas,  the,  invasion  :  see  Ajakkas. 

Yakongo  village,  ii.  103 

Yakui,  ii.  125 

Yakusa  spe.irs,  ii.  356 

Yalulima  tiibe,  ii.  Ill,  354;  swordsmiths, 

ii.  356 

Yambi  village,  ii.  126 
;  Yambinga,  town,  ii.  107-109 

Yambua,  ii.  127 

Yambula,  518,  525  ;  ii.  57-60 

Yambumba  town,  ii.  127 
|  Yambuugu  village,  ii.  112 
i  Yambuya  village,  ii.  129 


INDEX. 


483 


Yamu-ningiii  village,  ii.  110 

Yamvu,  i.  432 

Yangambi,  ii.  151 

Yangassa,  a  chief  of  Nzabi,  i.  31 G 

Yankau  on  Itimbiri,  ii.  100 

Yanzi,  Chief  of  Wane  Sironga,  ii.  157 

Yaporo  district,  ii.  HI 

Yaruche,  ii.  152 

Yarukombe  town,  ii.  152 

Yaryenibi,  ii.  152 

Yavunga,  a  desolated  village,  ii.  141 
Yellala,  i.  102,  113,  160,  105,  179;  falls,  i. 

202,  203  ;  ii.  218  ;  mountain,  i.  205  ;  ii. 

217 

Yellow  wood,  ii.  30 

Yoinburri,  a  desolated  town,  ii.  139,  HI 
Youngblood,  Mr.,  i.  64,  73 
Youthful  indulgence,  ii.  282,  283 


Yumbila,  a  guide,  ii.  82,  86,  88,  97,  98, 100, 
112,  116,  117,  140,  182 

Zaire,  the,  Portuguese  name  of  the  Congo, 
i.  2, 202  ;  described  by  a  Capuchin  father, 
i.  4 ;  Tuckev's  description  of  the,  i.  5,  6 

Zanzibar,  28,  29,  35,  37,  39,  43-45,  47,  48  ; 
Ihe  Sultan  of,  i.  49 ;  the  Prince  of,  i.  58 

Zanzibaris,  i.  49,  59,  67,  146,  150,  203, 
212,  216,  277,  278,  SU,  445,  462 ;  ii.  97, 
144  ;  sent  home,  i.  449 

Zareeba  or  boma,  i.  46 

Zari :  see  Zaire, 

Zebra,  ii.  241 

Zinga,  i.  287,  313-316 

Zingeh,  i.  46 

Zombo,  ii.  342 

Zunga-chya-Idi,  i.  105 


THE  END, 


VALUABLE  WORKS 


OF 

EXPLORATION  AND  ADVENTURE, 


Stanley's  Congo,  and  the  Founding  of  its  Free  State, 

A  Story  of  Work  and  Exploration.  By  H.  M.  Stanley.  Dedicated  by 
Special  Permission  to  H.  M.  the  Kiug  of  tbe  Belgians.  With  over  One 
Hundred  full-page  and  smaller  Illustrations,  two  large  Maps,  and  several 
smaller  ones.    2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth.    (Just  Ready.) 

Stanley's  Through  the  Dark  Continent, 

Through  the  Dark  Continent ;  or,  The  Sources  of  the  Nile,  Around  the 
Great  Lakes  of  Equatorial  Africa,  and  Down  the  Livingstone  River  to 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  With  149  Illustrations  and  10  Maps.  By  Henry 
M.  Stanley.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  Sheep,  $12  00;  Half  Morocco, 
$15  00. 

Stanley's  Coomassie  and  Magdala. 

Coomassie  and  Magdala  :  a  Story  of  Two  British  Campaigns  in  Africa. 
By  Henry  M.  Stanley'.  With  Maps  and  Illustrations.   8vo,  Clotb,  $3  50. 

Livingstone's  Last  Journals, 

The  Last  Journals  of  David  Livingstone,  in  Central  Africa,  from  18G5  to 
his  Death.  Continued  by  a  Narrative  of  his  Last  Moments  and  Suffer- 
ings, obtained  from  his  Faithful  Servants  Chuma  and  Snsi.  By  Horace 
Waller,  F.R.G.S.,  Rector  of  Twywell,  Northampton.  With  Maps  and 
Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $6  00.  Cheap  Popular  Edition, 
8vo,  Cloth,  with  Map  and  Illustrations,  $2  50. 

Livingstone's  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi. 

Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi  and  its  Tributaries;  and  of 
the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa.  1858-1864.  By  David 
and  Charles  Livingstone.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Clotb, 
$5  00  ;  Sheep,  $5  50. 

Long's  Central  Africa, 

Central  Africa :  Naked  Truths  of  Naked  People.  An  Account  of  Expe- 
ditions to  the  Lake  Victoria  Nyanza  and  the  Makraka  Niam-Niam,  West 
of  the  Bahr-El-Abiad  (White  Nile).  By  Col.  C.  Chaill"£  Long,  of  the 
Egyptian  Staff.  Illustrated  from  Col.  Long's  own  Sketches.  With  Map. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Cameron's  Across  Africa. 

Across  Africa.  By  Verney  Lovett  Cameron,  C.B.,  D.C.L.,  Com- 
mander  Royal  Navy,  Gold  Medalist  Royal  Geographical  Society,  etc. 
With  a  Map  and  numerous  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

Du  Cbailhis  Asliango-Lnnd, 

A  Journey  to  Ash  an  go-Land,  and  Further  Penetration  into  Equatorial 
Africa.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Ciiaillu.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ; 
Sheep,  $5  50;  Half  Calf,  §7  25. 

Schwcinfarth's  Heart  of  Africa, 

The  Heart  of  Africa;  or,  Three  Years'  Travels  and  Adventures  in  the 
Unexplored  Regions  of  the  Centre  of  Africa.  From  1868  to  1871.  By 
Dr.  Georg  Schweinfurth.  Translated  hy  Ellen  E.  Fkewer.  With 
an  Introduction  by  Winwood  Reade.  Illustrated  by  about  130  Wood- 
cuts from  Drawings  made  by  the  Author,  and  with  Two  Maps.  2  vols., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

Spckc's  Africa. 

Journal  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile.  By  John  Hanxing 
Speke,  Captain  H.  M.  Indian  Army,  Fellow  and  Gold  Medalist  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society,  Hon.  Corresponding  Member  and  Gold  Med- 
alist of  the  French  Geographical  Society,  etc.  With  Maps  and  Portraits 
and  numerous  Illustrations,  chiefly  from  Drawings  by  Captain  Grant. 
8vo,Cloth,$4  03;  Sheep,  §4  50. 

Burtons  Lake  Regions  of  Central  Africa, 

The  Lake  Regions  of  Central  Africa.  A  Picture  of  Exploration.  By 
Captain  Richard  F.  Burton.  Maps  and  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$3  50. 

Baker's  Ismailia. 

Ismailia:  a  Narrative  of  the  Expedition  to  Central  Africa  for  the  Sup- 
pression of  the  Slave  -  Trade,  organized  by  Ismail,  Khedive  of  Egypt. 
By  Sir  Samuel  White  Baker,  Pasha,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  F.R.G.S.,  Major- 
General  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  late  Governor-General  of  the  Equatorial 
Nile  Basin,  etc.,  etc.  With  Maps,  Portraits,  and  upwards  of  50  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Zwecker  and  Durand.  8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Half  Calf, 
87  25. 

Lady  Blunt's  Bedouin  Tribes  of  the  Euphrates, 

Bedouin  Tribes  of  the  Euphrates.  By  Lady  Anne  Blunt.  Edited, 
with  a  Preface  aud  some  Account  of  the  Arabs  and  their  Horses,  by 
W.  S.  B.    Map  and  Sketches  by  the  Author.    8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


3 


Reade's  Savage  Africa. 

Savage  Africa:  being  the  Narrative  of  a  Tour  in  Equatorial,  South-west- 
ern, and  North-western  Africa;  with  Notes  on  the  Habits  of  the  Gorilla; 
on  the  Existence  of  Unicorns  and  Tailed  Men  ;  on  the  Slave-Trade  ;  on 
the  Origin,  Character,  and  Capabilities  of  the  Negro,  and  on  the  Future 
Civilization  of  Western  Africa.  By  W.  Winwood  Reade.  With  Illus- 
trations and  a  Map.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00  ;  Sheep,  $4  50  ;  Half  Calf,  $6  25. 

Prime's  Boat-Life  in  Egypt  and  Nubia. 

Boat -Life  in  Egypt  and  Nubia.  By  William  C.  Prime.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Curtis's  Nile  Notes  of  a  Howadji. 

Nile  Notes  of  a  Howadji.  By  George  William  Curtis.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  50. 

A  Naturalist's  Wanderings  in  the  Eastern  Archipelago. 

A  Narrative  of  Travel  and  Exploration  from  1878  to  1883.  By  Hexry  O. 
Forbes,  F.R.G.S.,  etc.    Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00.    (Just  Published.) 

Wallace's  Malay  Archipelago. 

The  Malay  Archipelago  :  the  Laud  of  the  Orang-Utan  and  the  Bird  of 
Paradise.  A  Narrative  of  Travel,  1854-62.  With  Studies  of  Man  and 
Nature.  By  Alfred  Russel  Wallace.  With  Maps  and  numerous 
Illustrations.    New  Edition.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth, $2  50. 

Wallace's  Island  Life. 

Island  Life;  or,  The  Phenomena  of  Insular  Faunas  and  Floras,  with 
their  Causes.  Including  an  entire  Revision  of  the  Problem  of  Geological 
Climates.  By  Alfred  Kussel  Wallace.  With  Illustrations  and  Maps. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

Wallace's  Geographical  Distribution  of  Animals. 

The  Geographical  Distribution  of  Animals.  With  a  Study  of  the  Rela- 
tions of  Living  and  Extinct  Faunas,  as  elucidating  the  Past  Changes  of 
the  Earth's  Surface.  By  Alfred  Russel  Wallace.  With  Colored 
Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations  by  Z  wecker.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  §10  00. 

Vambcry's  Central  Asia. 

Travels  in  Central  Asia:  being  the  Account  of  the  Journey  from  Teheran 
across  the  Turkoman  Desert,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  the  Caspian,  to 
Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Samarcand,  performed  in  the  year  1863.  By  Au 
MINIUS  Vambery,  Member  of  the  Hungarian  Academy  of  Pesth,  by  whom 
he  was  sent  on  this  Scientific  Mission.  With  Maps  and  Woodcuts.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $4  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $6  75. 


4 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Thomson's  Malacca,  Indo«China3  and  China, 

The  Straits  of  Malacca,  Indo-China,  and  China;  or,  Ten  Years'  Travels, 
Adventures,  and  Residence  Abroad.  By  J.  Thomson.  With  over  00 
Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

MacGahan's  Campaigning  on  the  Oxns. 

Campaigning  on  the  Oxns  and  the  Fall  of  Khiva.  By  J.  A.  MacGaiian. 
With  Map  and  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth, $3  50. 

Burnaby's  Hide  to  Khiva, 

A  Kide  to  Khiva:  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Central  Asia.  By  Fred 
Burnaby  (Captain  Royal  Horse  Guards).  With  Maps  and  an  Appendix, 
containing,  among  other  Information,  a  Series  of  March-routes,  compiled 
from  a  Russian  Work.    12nio,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Cnrzon's  Armenia  and  Erzeroom, 

Armenia:  a  Year  at  Erzeroom,  and  on  the  Frontiers  of  Russia,  Turkey, 
and  Persia.  By  the  Hon.  Robert  Curzon.  Map  and  Illustrations. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

Vincent's  Land  of  the  White  Elephant, 

The  Land  of  the  White  Elephant:  Sights  and  Scenes  iu  South-eastern 
Asia.  A  Personal  Narrative  of  Travel  and  Adventure  in  Farther  India, 
embracing  the  Countries  of  Burma,  Siam,  Cambodia,  and  Cochin-China 
(1871-2).  By  Frank  Vincent,  Jr.  Magnificently  Illustrated  with  Maps, 
Plans,  and  numerous  Woodcuts.    8vo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Tops,  $2  50. 

Vincent's  Through  and  Through  the  Tropics, 

Through  and  Through  the  Tropics :  Thirty  Thousand  Miles  of  Travel  in 
Oceauica,  Australasia,  and  India.  By  Fp.ank  Vincent,  Jr.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  50. 

Thomson's  Southern  Palestine  and  Jerusalem, 

The  Land  and  the  Book  :  Southern  Palestine  and  Jerusalem.  By  Will- 
iam M.  Thomson,  D.D.,  Forty-five  Years  a  Missionary  in  Syria  and  Pal- 
estine. 140  Illustrations  and  Maps.  Square  8vo,  Cloth,  $6  00;  Sheep, 
$7  00;  Half  Morocco,  $8  50;  Full  Morocco,  Gilt  Edges,  $10  00. 

Thomson's  Central  Palestine  and  Phoenicia. 

The  Land  and  the  Book  :  Central  Palestine  and  Phoenicia.  By  William 
M.  Thomson,  D.D.  130  Illustrations  and  Maps.  Square  8vo,  Cloth, 
$6  00;  Sheep,  $7  00;  Half  Morocco,  $8  50;  Full  Morocco,  Gilt  Edges, 
$10  00. 

Thomson's  East  of  the  Jordan, 

The  Land  and  the  Book:  East  of  the  Jordan.  By  William  M.  Thom- 
son, D.D.    Illustrations  and  Maps.    Square  8vo.    {Xearty  Ready). 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


5 


Prime's  Tent-Life  in  ihe  Holy  Land, 

Tent-Life  in  tbe  Holy  Laud.  By  William  C.  Prime.  Illustrated.  12mo, 
Cloth, $2  00. 

Pike's  Sub-Tropical  Rambles, 

Sub-Tropical  Rambles  in  tbe  Laud  of  tbe  Apbauapteryx  :  Persoual  Expe- 
riences, Adventures,  and  Wanderings  in  aud  about  tbe  Island  of  Mau- 
ritius.   By  Nicholas  Pike.    Handsomely  Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Van-Lcnnep's  Bible  Lands, 

Bible  Lauds:  their  Modern  Customs  and  Manners  Illustrative  of  Script- 
ure. By  the  Rev.  Henry  J.  Vax-Lenxep,  D.D.  Illustrated  with  up- 
wards of  350  Wood  Engravings  and  two  Colored  Maps.  833  pp.,  8vo, 
Cloth,  $5  00  j  Sheep,  $6  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $8  00. 

Macgregor's  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan. 

The  Rob  Roy  on  the  Jordan,  Nile,  Red  Sea,  and  Gennesareth,  etc.  A 
Canoe  Cruise  in  Palestine  and  Egypt,  and  the  Waters  of  Damascus.  By 
J.  MACGREGOR,  M.A.  With  Maps  and  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth, 
$2  50. 

Bartlett's  From  Egypt  to  Palcstineo 

From  Egypt  to  Palestine,  through  Sinai,  the  Wilderness,  and  the  South 
Country.  Observations  of  a  Journey  made  with  Special  Reference  to  the 
History  of  the  Israelites.  By  S.  C.  Bartlett,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  of 
Dartmouth  College,  and  lately  Professor  in  the  Chicago  Theological  Sem- 
inary.   With  Maps  and  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Schliemann's  Ilios. 

Ilios,  the  City  and  Country  of  the  Trojans.  The  Results  of  Researches 
aud  Discoveries  ou  the  Site  of  Troy  and  throughout  the  Troad  in  the 
years  1871-'72-'73-'78-'79 ;  including  an  Autobiography  of  the  Author. 
By  Dr.  Henry  Sciij  iemaxx,  F.S.A.,  F.R.I.  British  Architects;  Author  of 
"Troy  and  its  Remaius,"  " Mycenay'  etc.  With  a  Preface,  Appendices, 
and.  Notes  by  Professors  Rudolf  Vircbow,  Max  Muller,  A.  H.  Sayce,  J.  P. 
Mahaffy,  II.  Bnigsch-Bey,  P.  Ascherson,  M.  A.  Postolaccas,  M.  E.  Bnruouf, 
Mr.  F.  Calvert,  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Duffield.  With  Maps,  Plans,  aud  about  1800 
Illustrations.    Imperial  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  §15  00.  ' 

Schliemann's  Troja, 

Troja.  Results  of  the  Latest  Researches  and  Discoveries  on  the  Site  of 
Homer's  Troy,  and.  in  tbe  Heroic  Tumuli  and  other  Sites,  made  in  the 
year  1882,  and  a  Narrative  of  a  Journey  in  the  Troad  in  1881.  By  Dr. 
Henry  Sciiliemaxx,  Author  of  "  Ilios,"  etc.  Preface  by  Professor  A.  H. 
Sayce.  With  150  Woodcuts  and  4  Maps  and  Plans,  pp.  xl.,  434.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $7  50 ;  Half  Morocco,  $10  00. 


6 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Myers's  Remains  of  Lost  Empires. 

Remains  of  Lost  Empires:  Sketches  of  the  Ruins  of  Palmyra,  Nineveh, 
Babylon,  and  Persepolis,  with  some  Notes  on  India  and  the  Cashmeriau 
Himalayas.    By  P.  V.  N.  Myers,  A.M.    Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  CO. 

Tristram's  Land  of  Moab : 

The  Land  of  Moab  :  Travels  and  Discoveries  on  the  East  Side  of  the 
Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan.  By  H.  B.  TRISTRAM,  M.A.,  L.L.D.,  F.R.S.,  Hon- 
orary Canon  of  Durham.  With  a  Chapter  on  the  Persian  Palace  of  Ma- 
shita,  by  James  Ferguson,  F.R.S.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

Ccsnola's  Cyprus, 

Cyprus:  its  Ancient  Cities,  Tombs,  and  Temples.  A  Narrative  of  Re- 
searches and  Excavations  during  Ten  Years'  Residence  in  that  Island. 
By  General  Louis  Palma  di  Cesxola,  Member  of  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences,  Turin  ;  Hon.  Member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature,  London, 
etc.  With  Portrait,  Maps,  aud  400  Illustrations.  8vo,  Cloth,  Extra,  Gilt 
Tops  and  Uncut  Edges,  $7  50 ;  Half  Calf,  $10  00. 

Layard's  Discoveries  at  Nineveh. 

Discoveries  among  the  Ruins  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon  ;  with  Travels  in 
Armenia,  Kurdistan,  and  the  Desert :  being  the  result  of  a  Second  Expe- 
dition, undertaken  for  the  Trustees  of  the  British  Museum.  By  Austen 
Hexry  Layard,  M.P.  With  Maps,  Plans,  aud  Illustration.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$4  00. 

Davis's  Carthage, 

Carthage  and  her  Remains:  being  an  Account  of  the  Excavations  aud 
Researches  on  the  Site  of  the  Phoenician  Metropolis,  in  Africa  and  other 
Adjacent  Places.  Conducted  under  the  Auspices  of  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment. By  Dr.  N.  Davis,  F.R.G.S.  Profusely  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Wood- 
cuts, Chromo-Lithographs,  etc.,  etc.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $3  25. 

Thomson's  Voyage  of  the  ''Challenger.'' 

The  Voyage  of  the  " Challenger.''  The  Atlantic:  An  Account  of  the 
General  Results  of  the  Voyage  during  the  Year  1873  and  the  Early  Part 
of  the  Year  1876.  By  Sir  C.  Wtyville  Thomson,  F.R.S.  With  a  Por- 
trait of  the  Author,  mauy  Colored  Maps,  Temperature  Charts,  and  Illus- 
trations.   2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

Spry's  Cruise  of  the  fi  Challenger." 

The  Cruise  of  Her  Majesty's  Ship  "Challenger."  Voyages  over  many 
Seas,  Scenes  in  mauy  Lauds.  By  W.  J.  J.  Spry,  R.N.  With  Maps  and 
Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure.  7 


The  Boy  Travellers.  By  Thos.  W.  Knox.  Six  Parts. 
Copiously  Illustrated.   8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00  each. 

Part  I.    Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  to  Japan  and  China. 

Part  II.  Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  to  Siam  and  Java. 
With  Descriptions  of  Cochin-China,  Cambodia,  Sumatra,  and  the  Malay 
Archipelago.    Illustrated.    8 vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Part  III.  Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  to  Ceylon  and 
India.  With  Descriptions  of  Borneo,  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  Burmah. 

Part  IV.  Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  to  Egypt  and  the 
Holy  Land. 

Part  V.  Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  through  Central 
Africa. 

Part  YI.  Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  a  Journey  through  South 
America.    {Nearly  Heady.) 

Hunting  Adventures  on  Land  and  Sea.  By  Thos,  W. 
Knox,  Two  Parts.  Copiously  Illustrated,  8vo, 
Cloth,  $2  50  each, 

Part  I.    The  Young  Nimrods  in  North  America. 
Part  II.    The  Young  Nimrods  Around  the  World. 

Knox's  Voyage  of  the  "  Vivian." 

The  Voyage  of  the  "Vivian"  to  the  North  Pole  and  Beyond.  Being  the 
Adventures  of  Two  Youths  in  the  Open  Polar  Sea.  By  Thomas  W.  Knox. 
Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

Du  Chaillu's  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun, 

The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun.  Summer  and  Winter  Journeys  through 
Sweden,  Norway,  Lapland,  and  Northern  Finland.  By  Paul  B.  Du 
Chaillu.  With  Map  and  235  Illustrations.  In  Two  Volumes.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $7  50;  Half  Calf,  $12  00. 

Lnniont's  Seasons  with  the  Sea-Horses. 

Seasons  with  the  Sea-Horses;  or,  Sporting  Adventures  in  the  Northern 
Seas.  By  James  Lamoxt,  F.G.S.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  8vo, 
Cloth,  $3  00. 

Tyson's  Arctic  Experiences. 

Arctic  Experiences:  containing  Captain  George  E.  Tyson's  Wonderful 
Drift  on  the  Ice-Floe,  a  History  of  the  Polaris  Expedition,  the  Cruise  of 
the  Tigress,  and  Rescue  of  the  Polaris  Survivors.  To  which  is  added  a 
General  Arctic  Chronology.  Edited  by  E.  Vale.  With  Map  and  numer- 
ous Illustrations.    8vo;  Cloth,  $4  00. 


8 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Hayes's  Land  of  Desolation. 

The  Land  of  Desolation  :  being  a  Personal  Narrative  of  Observation  and 
Adventure  in  Greenland.  By  Isaac  I.  Hayes,  M.D.,  Author  of  "The 
Open  Polar  Sea,"  etc.    With  Illustrations.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

Davis's  Nimrod  of  the  Sea. 

Nimrod  of  the  Sea ;  or,  the  American  Whaleman.  By  William  M.  Davis. 
With  many  Illustrations.    12nio,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Bush's  Reindeer,  Dogs,  and  Snow-shoes. 

Reiudeer,  Dogs,  and  Snow-shoes :  a  Journal  of  Siberian  Travel  and  Ex- 
plorations made  in  the  Years  1805-'67.  By  Richard  J.  Busn,  late  of  the 
Russo-Americau  Telegraph  Expedition.  Illustrated.  Crown  8vo,  Cloth, 
$3  00. 

Bishop  Haven's  Mexico. 

Our  Next-Door  Neighbor.  Recent  Sketches  of  Mexico.  By  the  Rev. 
Gilbert  Haven,  D.D.,  Bishop  in  the  M.  E.  Church.  With  Maps  and 
Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Bishops  Old  Mexico  and  her  Lost  Provinces. 

A  Journey  in  Mexico,  Southern  California,  and  Arizona,  by  Way  of  Cuba. 
By  William  Henry  Bishop,  Author  of  "  Detmold,"  "  The  House  of  a 
Merchant  Prince,"  etc.  With  numerous  Illustrations,  chiefly  from 
Sketches  by  the  Author.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Sqnier's  Nicaragua. 

Nicaragua:  its  People,  Scenery,  Monuments,  Resources,  Condition,  and 
Proposed  Canal.  With  One  Hundred  Maps  and  Illustrations.  By  E.  G. 
Squier.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

Sqnier's  Peru. 

Peru  :  Incidents  of  Travel  and  Exploration  in  the  Land  of  the  Incns.  By 
E.  G.  Squier,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  late  U.  S.  Commissioner  to  Peru.  Illustrated. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

Ortons  Andes  and  the  Amazon. 

The  Andes  and  the  Amazon  ;  or,  Across  the  Continent  of  South  America. 
By  James  Orton,  Ph.D.,  late  Professor  of  Natural  History  in  Vassar 
College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. ;  Corresponding  Member  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History, 
N.  Y.  Third  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged,  containing  Notes  of  a  Sec- 
ond Journey  Across  the  Continent  from  Partf  to  Lima  and  Lake  Titicaca. 
With  two  Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


0 


Whymper's  Alaska. 

Travel  and  Adventure  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  formerly  Russian 
America — now  ceded  to  the  United  States — and  in  various  Other  Parts 
of  the  North  Pacitic.  By  Frederick  WhyJIPER.  With  Map  and  Illus- 
trations.   Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

Ingcrsoll's  Knocking  Round  the  Rockies, 

Kuocking  Round  the  Rockies.  By  Ernest  Ingersoll.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Burton's  City  of  the  Saints. 

The  City  of  the  Saints;  and  Across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  California. 
By  Captain  Richard  P.  Burtox,  Fellow  and  Gold  Medalist  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Societies  of  France  and  England;  H.  M.  Consul  in  West 
Africa.    Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

NordhofTs  California. 

California:  a  Book  for  Travellers  and  Settlers.  By  Charles  Nordhoff. 
A  New  Edition.    With  Maps  and  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hayes's  New  Colorado, 

New  Colorado  and  the  Saute  Fe  Trail.  By  A.  A.  Hayes,  Jr.  Illustrated. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

Short's  North  Americans  of  Antiquity. 

The  North  Americans  of  Antiquity.  Their  Origin,  Migrations,  and  Type 
of  Civilization  Considered.  By  John  T.  Short.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth, 
$3  00. 

Murphy's  Sporting  Adventures  in  the  Far  West. 

Sporting  Adventures  in  the  Far  AVest.  By  J.  M.  MURPHY.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Gillmorc's  Prairie  and  Forest. 

Prairie  and  Forest:  a  Description  of  the  Game  of  North  America,  with 
Personal  Adventures  in  their  Pursuit.  By  Parker  Gillmore.  Illus- 
trated.   12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Hazard's  Santo  Domingo. 

Santo  Domingo,  Past  and  Present;  with  a  Glance  at  Hayti.  By  Samuel 
Hazard.    Maps  and  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Griffis's  The  Mikado's  Empire. 

The  Mikado's  Empire.  History  of  Japan,  from  6C0  B.C.  to  1872  A.D., 
and  Personal  Experiences,  Observations,  and  Studies  in  Japan,  1870-1874. 
New  Edition,  with  a  Supplementary  Chapter  on  Japan  in  1883.  By  Will- 
iam E.  Griffis,  A.M.,  late  of  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokio,  Japan. 
Copiously  Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $4  00  ;  Half  Calf,  $3  25. 


10 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Arnold's  Through  Persia  by  Caravan. 

Through  Persia  by  Caravan.    By  Arthur  Arnold.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

Darwin's  Voyage  of  a  Naturalist. 

Journal  of  Researches  into  the  Natural  History  and  Geology  of  the  Coun- 
tries Visited  during  the  Voyage  of  H.M.S.  "Beagle"  Round  the  World, 
under  the  Command  of  Captain  Fitzroy,  R.N.  By  Charles  Darwin, 
M.A.,  F.R.S.    New  Edition.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

What  Mr.  Darwin  Saw. 

What  Mr.  Darwin  Saw  in  his  Voyage  round  the  World  in  the  Ship  "  Bea- 
gle."   With  Illustrations.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

Benjamin's  Atlantic  Islands. 

The  Atlantic  Islands  as  Resorts  for  Health  and  Pleasure.  By  S.  G.  W. 
Benjamin.    Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

Biart's  Involuntary  Voyage. 

An  Involuntary  Voyage.  By  Lucien  Biart.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  25. 

Biart's  Adventures  of  a  Young  Naturalist, 

The  Adventures  of  a  Young  Naturalist.  By  Lucien  Biart.  Edited  and 
Adapted  hy  Parker  Gillmore.  With  117  Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  75. 

Smilcs's  Round  the  World. 

Rouud  the  World:  including  a  Residence  in  Victoria,  aud  a  Journey  hy 
Rail  across  North  America.  By  a  Boy.  Edited  hy  Samuel  Smiles.  Il- 
lustrated.   12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Symonds's  Sketches  and  Studies  in  Southern  Europe. 

Sketches  and  Studies  in  Southern  Europe.  By  John  Addington  Sy- 
monds.    In  Two  Volumes.    Square  16mo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

Lathrop's  Spanish  Vistas. 

Spanish  Vistas.  By  George  Parsons  Latiirop.  Illustrated  hy  Charles 
S.  Eeiniiart.    8vo,  Ornamental  Cover,  Gilt  Edges,  $3  00. 

Boughton's  Sketching  Rambles  in  Holland. 

Sketching  Rambles  in  Holland.  By  George  H.  Boughton,  A.R.A. 
Beautifully  and  Profusely  Illustrated  with  Wood-engravings  from  Draw- 
ings by  the  Author  and  Edwin  A.  Abbey.  With  Two  Artists'  Full-page 
Proofs,  Japanese  Paper,  without  Letters.  Pages  xvi.,  342.  Square,  8vo, 
Illuminated  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges,  and  Gilt  Top,  $5  00;  Brown  Cloth,  Un- 
cut Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $5  00;  Full  Gilt  Edges,  $5  25. 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


J  L 


Dnrtis's  The  Howadji  in  Syria. 

The  Howadji  in  Syria.  By  George  William  Curtis.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  50. 

Oliphant's  China  and  Japan. 

Narrative  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin's  Mission  to  China  and  Japan,  in  the  Years 
1857,  '58,  '59.  By  Laurence  Oliphant,  Private  Secretary  to  Lord  Elgin. 
Illustrated.    8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

Newman's  "From  Dan  to  Bcersheba." 

"From  Dan  to  Beersheba;"  or,  The  Laud  of  Promise  as  it  now  Appears. 
Including  a  Description  of  the  Boundaries,  Topography,  Agriculture, 
Antiquities,  Cities,  and  Present  Inhabitants  of  that  Wonderful  Land. 
With  Illustrations  of  the  Remarkable  Accuracy  of  the  Sacred  Writers  in 
their  Allusions  to  their  Native  Country.  By  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Newman,  D.D. 
Maps  and  Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

Gironiere's  Philippine  Islands. 

Twenty  Years  in  the  Philippines.  By  Paul  de  la  Gironiere.  Revised 
and  Extended  by  the  Author  expressly  for  this  Translation.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Clotli,  $1  50. 

Drake's  New  England  Coast. 

Nooks  and  Corners  of  the  New  England  Coast.  By  Samuel  Adams 
Drake.  With  numerous  Illustrations.  Square  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50 ;  Half 
Calf,  $5  75. 

Drake's  Heart  of  the  White  Mountains. 

The  Heart  of  the  White  Mountains.  By  Samuel  Adams  Drake,  Author 
of  "  Nooks  and  Corners  of  the  New  England  Const."  Illustrated  by  W. 
Hamilton  Gibson,  Author  of  "Pastoral  Days."  4to,  Illuminated  Cloth, 
Gilt  Edges,  $7  50.    Tourist's  Edition,  $3  00. 

Dilkc's  Greater  Britain. 

Greater  Britain  :  a  Record  of  Travel  in  English-speaking  Countries  dur- 
iug  18G6  and  1837.  By  Charles  Wentwortii  Dilke.  Maps  and  Illus- 
trations.   12mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

Lady  Belcher's  Mutiny  of  the  Bounty. 

Some  Account  of  the  Mutineers  of  the  Bounty  and  their  Descendants  in 
Pifecairn  and  Norfolk  Islands.  By  Lady  Belcher.  Illustrated.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  50. 


12 


Valuable  Works  of  Exploration  and  Adventure. 


Waring's  Tyrol,  and  the  Skirt  of  the  Alps. 

Tyrol,  and  the  Skirt  of  the  Alps.  By  George  E.  Waring,  Jr.  Illus- 
trated.   8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

Dixon's  Free  Russia, 

Free  Russia.  By  W.  Hepwortii  Dixon,  Author  of  "  Her  Majesty's  Tow- 
er," etc.    With  Two  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  $2  00. 

Prime's  Round  the  World, 

Around  the  World.  By  Edward  D.  G.  Prime,  D.D.  With  numerous 
Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

Hepwortifs  Starboard  and  Port. 

Starboard  and  Port:  the  "Nettie"  Along  Shore.  A  Summer's  Yacht 
Cruise  along  the  Coasts  of  Maine  and  Labrador.  By  George  H.  Hep- 
worth.    Illustrated.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

Kingslcy's  West  Indies. 

At  Last:  a  Christmas  in  the  West  Indies.  By  Charles  Kingsley. 
Illustrated.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Du  Chaillus  Country  of  the  Dwarfs. 

The  Country  of  the  Dwarfs.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Du  Chaillu's  Gorilla  Country. 

Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Du  Chailhis  My  Apingi  Kingdom, 

My  Apingi  Kingdom:  with  Life  in  the  Great  Sahara,  and  Sketches  of  the 
Chase  of  the  Ostrich,  Hyena,  etc.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.  Illlustra- 
ted.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Du  Chaillus  Wild  Life. 

Wild  Life  under  the  Equator.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Du  Chailhis  Lost  in  the  Jungle, 

Lost  in  the  Juugle.  By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.  Illustrated.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  50. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  ISTew  Youk. 

IIaupeu  &  BuoTiJKits  will  send  any  of  the  above  works  ly  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any 
2>art  of  the  United  States  or  Canada,  o:z  receipt  of  the  price. 


